Guest Thinkers — February 11, 2010

On Love, Day Two

As part of Big Think’s “What Is Love?” series, we release interviews with Helen Fisher and David Schnarch, two notable experts in the field of love. According to Fisher, there’s a reason that men and women in relationships often find it difficult to engage in deep conversations. Could it be something that dates back to our early evolution?

Fisher also talks about what makes us attracted to some people and not others. For example, why were Bill and Hilary Clinton so compatible in the first place? Fisher says it has a lot to do with Bill’s emotional side.

David Schnarch talks about the psychological effects of Valentine’s Day on relationships, and offers tips on how to spice up a 25-year-old marriage. The best thing to do? Lie next to your partner and engage in mutual gazing. Schnarch explains the science behind what seems like a silly idea.

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

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