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From Amazon
Poor, poor science--it gets blamed for everything. While it might be true that some of our alienation and unhappiness stem from a too-rational misunderstanding of emotion, it's also true that science is its own remedy. A General Theory of Love, by San Francisco psychiatrists Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard Lannon, is a powerfully humanistic look at the natural history of our deepest feelings, and why a simple hug is often more important than a portfolio full of stock options. Their grasp of neural science is topnotch, but the book is more about humans as social animals and how we relate to others--for once, the brain plays second fiddle to the heart.
Though some of their social analysis is less than fully thought out--surely e-mail isn't a truly unique form of communication, as they suggest--the work as a whole is strong and merits attention. Science, it turns out, does have much to say about our messy feelings and relationships. While much of it could be filed under "common sense," it's nice to know that common sense is replicable. Hard-science types will probably be exasperated with the constant shifts between data and appeals to emotional truths, but the rest of us will see in A General Theory of Love a new synthesis of research and poetry. --Rob Lightner --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
The Beatles may have sounded naive when they assured us that "all you need is love," but they may not have been far off the mark. New research in brain function has proven that love is a human necessity; its absence damages not only individuals, but our whole society. In this stimulating work, psychiatrists Lewis, Amini and Lannon explain how and why our brains have evolved to require consistent bonding and nurturing. They contend that close emotional connections actually change neural patterns in those who engage in them, affecting our sense of self and making empathy and socialization possible. Indeed, the authors insist, "in some important ways, people cannot be stable on their own." Yet American society is structured to frustrate emotional health, they contend: self-sufficiency and materialistic goals are seen as great virtues, while emotional dependence is considered a weakness. Because our culture does not sufficiently value interpersonal relationships, we are plagued by anxiety and depression, narcissism and superficiality, which can lead to violence and self-destructive behaviors. It is futile to try to think our way out of such behaviors, the authors believe, because emotions are not within the intellect's domain. What is needed is healthy bonding from infancy; when this does not occur, the therapist must model it. The authors' utopian vision of emotional health may strike some as vague or conservative to a fault, and the clarity of their thesis is marred by indirect and precious writing. Yet their claim that "what we do inside relationships matters more than any other aspect of human life" is a powerful one. Agent, Carol Mann. 9-city author tour.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Two girls discover the sectret of life in a sudden line of poetry. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Two girls discover the sectret of life in a sudden line of poetry. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Worthwhile Read, But the Title is Misleading,
By
This review is from: A General Theory of Love (Paperback)
The General Theory of Love is an odd book. First, the title is somewhat misleading. The book is not particularly scientific, and it certainly does not provide a general theory of love, in any meaningful sense. (The book certainly is "general," in that it does not give details of the brain, for example.) Moreover, the authors -- three psychiatrists from UC San Francisco -- write in a very odd, pseudo poetic style that gets in the way of the message.That being said, it is a worthwhile book. Most people will enjoy reading it, and many will be informed and/or feel uplifted. The authors point out that the limbic brain, the part of the brain that we share with all mammals and that controls emotion, is a very important part of who we are. It cannot be ignored. The overall message of the book is certainly worth hearing.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
phenomenal and thought provoking,
By limbicresonance.com (Richardson, TX United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A General Theory of Love (Hardcover)
The author's theory of limbic resonance correlates very accurately with reality. As any good theory on human emotion should, it accurately explains why we love who we love and why we are who we are. For years and years I argued with countless intellectuals who said there was no such thing as "Spark". This book not only provided me with a realistic explanation of my own emotional makeup and attraction certain woman (through spark), but gives me a way to examine spark and change it if I so desire.It's not a book for everyone, since the first four or five chapters are a bit slow and technical, but if you get bogged down, skip to Hebbian learning (the fundamentals behind artificial intelligence in computers) in chapter six and you'll be suddenly and completely enthralled. The way it ties our mind together as a logical group of thinking units and then ties this back to the way we love is fantastic. Get the book, read it, you'll learn a lot. I guarantee it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
a general theory of love,
By
This review is from: A General Theory of Love (Paperback)
I found this book to be the clearest explanation of human relations - why we feel, think and do the things we do that I have ever read. I really valued their insights into how human relations evolved, how this affects each and every one of us constantly, and how this knowledge can help us in our daily lives. Nicely written - highly recommended.
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