Attraction Explained

The Science of How We Form Relationships

By: Viren Swami

Narrated by: Tidor Nieddu

How much does appearance matter in the formation of romantic relationships? Do nice guys always finish last? Does playing hard-to-get ever work? What really makes for a good chat-up line?

When it comes to relationships, theres no shortage of advice from self-help experts, pick-up artists, and glossy magazines. But modern-day myths of attraction often have no basis in fact or worse are rooted in little more than misogyny. In Attraction Explained, psychologist Viren Swami debunks these myths and draws on cutting-edge research to provide a ground-breaking and evidence-based account of relationship formation.

At the core of this book is a very simple idea: there are no laws of attraction, no foolproof methods or strategies for getting someone to date you. But this isn't to say that theres nothing to be gained from studying attraction. Based on science rather than self-help cliches, Attraction Explained looks at how factors such as geography, appearance, personality, and similarity affect who we fall for and why.

©2020 Taylor & Francis (P)2020 Routledge

Critic reviews

"This is a beautifully written book, more like a novel than an academic textbook. But don’t be misled. The author is a world authority on the topic. Professor Swami has made sure the book is scrupulous accurate and that all assertions are research based. It is really un-put-downable." - Adrian Furnham, Department of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, UK

"I trusted this author at once because, unlike the psychobabblers, he says from the start that there are no "laws" of attraction and no foolproof methods for getting someone to date you, let alone jump into bed with you. That isn’t to say there is nothing to be gained from studying the processes involved in what draws us together. It’s just a lot trickier than most self-help books would suggest. But with precision and no small wit—I found myself frequently laughing out loud—he explores the four key factors that shape the formation of most relationships: proximity, appearance, reciprocity and similarity. As he shows, studying attraction or relationships scientifically, far from destroying the magic and mystery of it all, can actually be helpful, whether you aspire to be lover or friend. He also satisfyingly nails my biggest bête noir: that 'treat ‘em mean" is any sort of relationship advice.'" - Suzie Hayman, agony aunt, relationship counsellor, accredited TripleP (Positive Parenting Programme) parenting educator, broadcaster and author.