My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
Por Que Amamos: Naturaleza y Quimica del Amor Romantico = Why We Love
by
Helen Fisher
In this groundbreaking exploration of our most complex and mysterious emotion, renowned anthropologist Helen Fisher explains why this experience?which cuts across time, geography, and gender?is a force as powerful as the need for food or sleep. With new research, Fisher shows exactly what you experience when you fall in love, why you choose certain people, and how love aff...more
Paperback, 348 pages
Published
August 1st 2004
by Taurus
(first published February 4th 2004)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
862)
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I learned that elevated levels of dopamine and norepinepherine and reduced levels of serotonin are the three brain chemical primarily responsible for "burnin' love." Helen Fisher wrote at length how she used fMRI scans of the brains of those in love and those who wre rejected in love. I learned that oxytocin and vasopressin are responsible for the long-term, secure and happy love that Joyce and I now share. I discovered knowing that brain chemicals are re...more
view 2 comments
i was going through a particularly challenging time in my life when i read this book. it helped put some of my feelings into perspective. i get emotionally attached to people quite easily and though i know it is not purely physiological...i began to more clearly understand my passionate nature. this book was a comfort when i needed it to be, though i am sure it might be boring to some.
Not a very long book, but I could relate to a lot of the topics covered (though my love tendencies are a bit unusual and I grow strongly attached to some people I have no sexual interest in). I have "abandonment rage" and love addiction, which are covered in this book. I'm a very obsessive person so I related to the obsessive qualities love can take on.
I read it after I had my first real heartbreak. It didn't help much. It did, however, attempt to break down love into a series of chemical processes. Now that I'm in love again, I know that if I ever feel it starting to wane, I can simply supplement some L-Tyrosine to reignite the passion.
Fisher's book Why we Love is a book about evolutionary biology and its mechanism the biological chemicals to explain the underpinings of mating strategies and romanic love in specific. I think she does a great job weaving poems, famous passages, and myths in order to give feeling to the analytical side of evolutionary biology.
Fisher states that lust, romantic love, and attachment came about because of specific need in mating strategies in order for our species to be prolific. She...more
Fisher states that lust, romantic love, and attachment came about because of specific need in mating strategies in order for our species to be prolific. She...more
Dr. Helen Fisher is an inspiration and amazing source of knowledge. After a very difficult break-up years ago, this book demystified the agony of what my brain was going through as well as my body. Once I understood what was happening to me, I was then able to find ways to work through my pain. The hyper sensitivity after a break-up makes us think there is no other person like the person we've attached to, but this book explains the neurological paths in our brain are there to fool us. A great b...more
This book was one of the first I read when doing research for "Brain Chemistry For Lovers" and is quoted in the show. I had an opportunity to meet Dr. Fisher when Darrell Grant and I performed an excerpt of the show as an "opening act" for her lecture that she gave for the Illahee Lecture Series in Portland OR. She is a dynamic, creative individual who manages to bridge the gap that often exists between the science of human interaction and our ability to understand it.
...more
...more
We often think of having chemistry with someone else as the basis for good romance, but at the root of so many of our lustful compulsions and emotional yearnings are scientific inclinations. In this book, Helen Fisher, the world's favorite anthropologist, offers a comprehensive and holistic analysis which can demistify why we lust, and why we love.
By the time you are done reading it, you will not only think of love in a different way, but you will be able to maker clearer distinctions ...more
By the time you are done reading it, you will not only think of love in a different way, but you will be able to maker clearer distinctions ...more
A three-pronged approach to understanding the way people behave regarding romantic love - evolutionary, biological, and psychological. I kind of skimmed over a lot of the zoological stuff and stuck to the parts about people.
It's quite a thin book, actually, with a lot of filler text of quotes about love from ancient Sumeria to Woody Allen, I guess basically to show that we all have gone through the same problems for thousands of years.
The most interesting parts are the references to ...more
It's quite a thin book, actually, with a lot of filler text of quotes about love from ancient Sumeria to Woody Allen, I guess basically to show that we all have gone through the same problems for thousands of years.
The most interesting parts are the references to ...more
What a huge letdown! Totally overrated. This subject truly fascinates me, but the author merely builds on the research of others and pads it with quotes from popular literature, poetry and song lyrics, as though that proves a point. If you take out all those quotes it's probably half as thick. It's like she just googled "Love" and included every quote she could find. Reads like a so-so undergrad paper. The only thing the author herself actually brings to the table is the notion that ce...more
Anthropologist Helen Fisher examines the biochemistry of romantic love in this work. She's coming from an evolutionary psychology perspective so most behaviors are explained in terms of biochemical events and/or adaptive behaviors. Other factors (e.g. cognitive models, early learning history) are either not mentioned or given short shrift which is why I give this one four rather than five stars. Still an interesting look that runs the gamut from first romance, companionship and thwarted love.
I love this book. It provided me with all the hidden secretes there is to love. Once finished with this book I no longer feel dumbfounded about mine or other people’s actions when it comes to romance, lust, commitment and passion. I recommend that everyone reads this book because love is a complex system and Helen Fisher does an amazing job in making it clear that love is not something to fear even when everything doesn’t seem to be working out because love is about an individual’s personal gro...more
'Why We Love' fails to answer the very provocative question in poses | Disappointingly, it is more pop and less anthropology; she does not even offer a nuanced understanding of the various cultures she discusses (i.e. Australia, Japan) | The most interesting parts of the book were the poets and thinkers the writer decided to quote, but her writing did a poor job of converting those creative expressions into a strong, informative narrative; it was also surprising that there is only a weak discuss...more
I can't decide if the numerous poetry references were illustrative or just annoying, but once you slog through the introductory chapters, the survey of the actual science is rather interesting. Although, over all it depressed me. So much of love is actually rooted in biology; it's primitive and compelling. You can't really make it go away, nor can you arbitrarily make it come back. It's an informative book though.
An interesting and simple read, well crafted into bite-sized chunks made it pretty hard to put down. Although pieces of it felt more opinion than science, I absolutely enjoyed reading the authors take on the various theories presented. Personally, I felt like the last few chapters were the most powerful, summing up the various chemical sciences, detailing the process of love lost (although there was a hint of it becoming a self-help book in there), and how to push past out biology. Absolutely gi...more
La autora explica bastante bien las bases biológicas del amor e ilustra su exposición con muchas citas de grandes autores de la literatura. Todo esto está bien, pero al final, el libro te deja con la sensación de que hay preguntas muy importantes con respecto al amor que la autora ni siquiera plantea. Tal vez sean preguntas que la neurociencia no puede responder.
Love and everything that comes with it is completely irrational, but without it, humans would have died off as a species a couple million years ago. This book meets at the crossroads of poetry, anthropology, and biology to explain why humans will do almost anything for love.
I used what I learned in this book to counsel a friend, and I'm sure I'll eventually use it on myself. Super helpful!
I used what I learned in this book to counsel a friend, and I'm sure I'll eventually use it on myself. Super helpful!
This book is really great filled with useful information. I really enjoyed reading it, even though it had a lot of biological concepts it also was very well written and about a topic I believe is one of humanities greatest concerns: Love. Those of you who enjoy neurobiology and chemistry will probably love reading this book!
Another book I read for research on my English paper. I did find this book fascinating. I read this book mostly because Fisher does some interesting research suggesting that there is an "extra bit of DNA" in some, but not all, of us that makes us monogamous. This was interesting information to include in my polyamory paper.
It's a very interesting book, try to answer the question "why we love" from logic, science point of view. I am impressed with Helen Fisher's effort and the way she slices through this topic. I think I gained something or understanding more about human-being after this. It's kind of cool book.
Easy to read, very informative with interesting conclusions.
The question I asked my self before reading this book was: whether people are hardwired to live monogamous life till death do us part and stay in love with that chosen person the whole time? So far, considering all the examples of all the different species and the hormonal experiments made, I can say that the answer is: not really, no.
The sad thing is, this book stripped all that's magical about love. Will never be able to r...more
The question I asked my self before reading this book was: whether people are hardwired to live monogamous life till death do us part and stay in love with that chosen person the whole time? So far, considering all the examples of all the different species and the hormonal experiments made, I can say that the answer is: not really, no.
The sad thing is, this book stripped all that's magical about love. Will never be able to r...more
Fascinating topic, but the book itself wasn't very enlightening, especially if you've taken even one anthropology or psychology course. I appreciated the nod to romantic literature, although the quotes, as beautiful as they were, felt rather haphazardly placed throughout the text.
Helen is going to be a speaker for our women's group at work. I really enjoyed the book for its scientific explanation of the brain chemicals throughout the various stages of love and bonding. I recommend this book for the heartbroken -- explains things!
Really interesting insights into brain chemistry and some of the addictive qualities of love. It has been a big source of research material for me as I write my memoir and try to understand my own relationships.
A remarkable book though I wish it was better edited. It occurs to me however that the nature of Fisher's subject defies traditional organization.
Once you get past all the science jargon and big words, its actually and interesting book.
i re-read this every time i fall in love, as per the suggestion of a close friend of mine.
brilliant, non fiction, scientific and smart. like it very much.
Fun, easy, chatty. Lets you see love from a different perspective, so that you can observe yourself next time. Nice excerpts from love literature, even though some of the translations chosen are the worst that I've seen.
A must read if you ever plan to fall in love.....again.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Helen E. Fisher (born 1945) is an anthropology professor and human behavior researcher at the Rutgers University and is one of the major researchers in the field of romantic interpersonal attraction.Prior to becoming a research professor at Rutgers University, she was a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
By many accounts, Fisher is considered ...more
More about Helen Fisher...
By many accounts, Fisher is considered ...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Men don't need linguistic talent; they just need courage and words.”
—
7 people liked it
“Falling in love was not really a choice; it just struck me.”
—
6 people liked it
More quotes…
