Wired for Love: A Neuroscientist’s Journey Through Romance, Loss, and the Essence of Human Connection

Neuroscientist Cacioppo blends memoir and science in her debut, an enlightening testament to love’s ability to enhance one’s life. She begins with evolution, explaining how humankind’s “primate ancestors” established pair bonds and positing that these precursors to romantic relationships created the necessary conditions for creating societies. She then breaks down the feel-good neurotransmitters generated by falling in love, and outlines a fascinating experiment she conducted at Dartmouth College called the “Love Machine,” which was intended to help a person decide between two potential suitors by measuring brain function in response to subliminal messaging. Among the findings was that people performed better on tests after seeing the name of the person they “undoubtedly loved.” Cacioppo also recounts her own love story: despite feeling like she’d “be alone forever,” she fell in love with fellow social neuroscientist John Cacioppo in 2011. They married shortly thereafter; four years later, John was diagnosed with stage IV cancer and, in 2018, died, an experience she uses to explore the healing power of partnership: People “literally feel less pain when their significant other is touching them or even just in the same room. That’s why I knew I could never leave John’s side.” Readers will be both fascinated and moved. (Apr.)