Helen Fisher, PhD

Rise above your nature and take a second look

We now know what happens in the brain when you first meet someone new:  two small factories that lie behind your forehead leap into action.   One brain region tries to decide if this person is physically attractive enough, ie sexy enough, to be an acceptable partner in your bed.  The second brain region tries to establish whether this […]Read More

Re-evaluate your “must have” list

Women are the picky sex.  And they probably always have been.  They bear the baby for nine months; and in every society on earth, women spend more time at infant care than men.  Not to say that men don’t have childcare duties.  For millions of years men’s job was to protect the family and provide hard won meat.  They got […]Read More

MODERN LOVE

Hooking up; friends with benefits; living together before marriage; constant texting on cell phones: many Americans believe the young are ushering in an era of emotional isolation and sexual chaos. But as a biological anthropologist, I am optimistic about the future of relationships.  Foremost, singles of all ages are leading the way to a far less […]Read More

MILLENNIALS ROCK!

Do you know your friends?  I’m referring to those in the age cohort 18 to 34:  Millennials.  I ask because many think they’re just sex monkeys who mooch off mom and dad–living in the family basement while making no effort to find romance or marry.  So Match and I decided to find out who these people really are.   As you […]Read More

Why do women go to the bathroom together and men don’t talk to each other in the bathroom?

Men have far more intimate conversations with their wives and lovers than do women with their spouses or partners.  Why?   Because women have their intimate conversations with their female friends.  And there’s no better place than the “Ladies Room.”    No men in there.   You can even shout between stalls.   Indeed, I’ve overheard some colorful conversations in the “john.”   We like to go […]Read More