A General Theory of Love

Drawing comparisons to the most eloquent science writing of our day, three eminent psychiatrists tackle the difficult task of reconciling what artists and thinkers have known for thousands of years about the human heart with what has only recently been learned about the primitive functions of the human brain. The result is an original, lucid, at times moving account of the complexities of love and its essential role in human well-being.

A General Theory of Love draws on the latest scientific research to demonstrate that our nervous systems are not self-contained: from earliest childhood, our brains actually link with those of the people close to us, in a silent rhythm that alters the very structure of our brains, establishes life-long emotional patterns, and makes us, in large part, who we are. Explaining how relationships function, how parents shape their child’s developing self, how psychotherapy really works, and how our society dangerously flouts essential emotional laws, this is a work of rare passion and eloquence that will forever change the way you think about human intimacy.

Debunking Freudian theory, the authors of this groundbreaking analysis of the biological underpinnings of love offer a new paradigm for understanding the human "heart", redefining family ties, community, and romance in the process. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

Thomas Lewis, M.D.is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, and a former associate director of the Affective Disorders Program there. Dr. Lewis currently divides his time between writing, private practice, and teaching at the UCSF medical school. He lives in Sausalito, California.

Fari Amini, M.D. is a professor of psychiatry at the UCSF School of Medicine. Born and raised in Iran, he graduated from medical school at UCSF and has served on the faculty there for thirty-three years. Dr. Amini is married, has six children, and lives in Ross, California.

Richard Lannon, M.D. is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCSF School of Medicine. In 1980, Dr. Lannon founded the Affective Disorders Program at UCS

The heart's castle: science joins the search for love — Kits, cats, sacks, and uncertainty: how the brain's basic structure poses problems for love — Archimedes' principle: how we sense the inner world of other hearts — A fiercer sea: how relationships permeate the human body, mind, and soul — Gravity's incarnation: how memory stores and shapes love — A bend in the road: how love changes who we are and who we can become — The book of life: how love forms, guides, and alters a child's emotional mind — Between stone and sky: what can be done to heal hearts gone astray — A walk in the shadows: how culture blinds us to the ways of love — The open door: what the future holds for the mysteries of love.