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A Neuroscientist's Journey Through Romance, Loss, and the Essence of Human Connection
by Stephanie Cacioppo
From the world's foremost neuroscientist of romantic love comes a personal story of connection and heartbreak that brings new understanding to an old truth: better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
At thirty-seven, Dr. Stephanie Cacioppo was content to be single. She was fulfilled by her work on the neuroscience of romantic love―how finding and growing with a partner literally reshapes our brains. That was, until she met the foremost neuroscientist of loneliness. A whirlwind romance led to marriage and to sharing an office at the University of Chicago. After seven years of being inseparable at work and at home, Stephanie lost her beloved husband, John, following his intense battle with cancer.
In Wired for Love, Stephanie tells not just a science story but also a love story. She shares revelatory insights into how and why we fall in love, what makes love last, and how we process love lost―all grounded in cutting-edge findings in brain chemistry and behavioral science. Woven through it all is her moving personal story, from astonishment to unbreakable bond to grief and healing. Her experience and her work enrich each other, creating a singular blend of science and lyricism that's essential reading for anyone looking for connection.
"Cacioppo blends memoir and science in her debut, an enlightening testament to love's ability to enhance one's life... Readers will be both fascinated and moved." ―Publishers Weekly
"Cacioppo's writing becomes more intimate as her life story stitches closer to her research. Her conclusion is enchanting and uplifting... A beautiful testament to romantic love, scientific passion, and the endless possibility of connection." ―Kirkus Reviews
"When John and Steph met it was electric, consuming, forever. One might even say 'wacky' from the start. But then their love grew to be inseparable, collaborative, joyous, and infinitely inventive. And while their scholarship and devotion to science hit new levels, it was their bond in love that was a joy to know. This book captures that joy." ―Michael Gazzaniga, author of The Consciousness Instinct
"This meditation on love is deep in every sense: in scientific richness, in human insight, and in moving personal involvement." ―Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind Works
This information about Wired for Love was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Stephanie Cacioppo is one of the world's leading authorities on the neuroscience of social connections. Her work on the neurobiology of romantic love and loneliness has been published in top academic journals and covered by The New York Times, CNN and National Geographic, among others.
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