A General Theory of Love is a non-fiction book, by Thomas Lewis, M.D., Fari Amini, M.D.., and Richard Lannon, M.D., that explains and explores the psychobiology of love.
The book describes the nature of 3 fundamental neurophysiologic processes that create and govern love:
- Limbic resonance, the wordless and nearly instantaneous emotional attunement that allows us to sense each other's feeling states
- Limbic regulation, the modulation and control of our physiology by our relationships
- Limbic revision, the manner in which relationships alter the very structure of our brains.
Those whom we love, as our book describes, change who we are, and who we can become.
REVIEWS
A General Theory of Love has been translated into Spanish, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Latvian, Croatian, and Farsi.
"In the manner of the best popularizers of science -- like Daniel Dennett, author of Darwin's Dangerous Idea, or Stephen Pinker, untangler of linguistic mysteries -- the authors break a path that lay readers can safely follow."
"Convincingly connecting love and biology is no easy task. The three authors persuade by discussing the science of love without diluting its mystique.
...eminently readable."
"Elegant prose that keeps the scientific jargon to a blessed minimum.” Rating: A-
"An insightful look at the science of human emotions that takes us far beyond the usual self-help banalities.....well-written and edited, this is a rare example of the fusing of scientific rigor with literary eloquence.” - San Francisco Examiner Magazine
"Drawing on a wealth of new brain research, this trio of psychiatrists makes a sound, unsentimental case for the indispensability of love to human development and happiness....[T]he penultimate chapter rises to a pitch of eloquence describable only as ringing....When this impassioned book is firing on all neurons, comparisons to Oliver Sacks or Lewis Thomas -- by happy coincidence, the reverse namesake of Dr. Lewis -- become inevitable."
“An engrossing argument that emotion plays a profound and perhaps prevailing role in a human being’s ability to develop and find happiness. ...Elegant writing.”
“In this stimulating work, psychiatrists Lewis, Amini and Lannon explain how and why our brains have evolved to require consistent bonding and nurturing...Their claim that ‘what we do inside relationships matters more than any other aspect of human life’ is a powerful one.”
“Three psychiatry professors (Univ. of California, San Francisco) cover an impressive vista of research and clinical insights from Freud to contemporary neuroscience....The link between the development of the limbic brain and the development of personality are described here in confident prose....Well written.”
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THOMAS B LEWIS MD
A GENERAL THEORY OF LOVE
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