The Science of Relationships: Answers to Your Questions About Dating, Marriage and Family [Paperback]

We all know the feeling. You walk into a bookstore and make your way into the "self-help" aisle, hoping for some thoughtful answers to your current, past, and (inevitable) future relationship woes. We all have them, after all. You stand there, perplexed and overwhelmed, sifting through title after title of people claiming to have all the answers to any problem your relationships might be facing. You end up settling on one, or two, or maybe even five books. After spending your precious time reading these books, you find yourself disappointed at the flighty and inconsistent advice they seem to offer, pointing you in several (or no) directions, and leaving you with more questions than you had to begin with. Or maybe that's just me; this is a dilemma I have faced for years. The relationship authors of the world have left me wanting more. Well, I am happy to report that my proverbial prayers have been answered, and this book is exactly what I have been waiting for all along.

Everyone claims to be a relationship expert. What qualifies one as an expert in relationships? Having more than one failed relationship? Or perhaps being married to the same person for 30 years puts one in a position to proselytize their personal stories to the rest of the public, claiming to know the answer to all types of relationships? Maybe. In this reader's humble opinion, the people who have authored this book are among a small group of folks who can successfully call themselves "experts". These are the people who have dedicated their lives and careers to answering the very dilemmas we all seek to understand in our personal relationships. The people who spend countless hours conducting studies and testing hypotheses that inevitably lead to a better understanding of what makes our relationships tick. These ARE the experts.

This book is thoughtful, intelligent, thorough, and well-rounded. It offers objective scientific knowledge by the very people who specialize in relationships, and applies this knowledge to concepts and ideas that we are all curious about. I recommend this book not only to those who are struggling, but those who find themselves wanting to know more about these integral and seemingly elusive experiences we call relationships.

Knowledge is power.

I have reviewed a number of relationship books from "experts" in the field, but this is one of the first books that I have read from actual researchers that is not dry and hard to read. This is written for the reader in mind and provides some great information for anyone who is interested in getting to better understand what people are thinking about, feeling, etc. in relationships. What I loved about this book is that it was written by a group of well educated writers and the information contained within the book is based on surveys and other research that each of the authors has been engaged within. The book is short and to the point, but packs a punch when it comes to the information that it shares. If you want to know more about yourself and more about the relationships that you are in, look no further than this book!