The Science of Love at The Glee Oxford

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Seed Talks: The Neuroscience of Attraction

Discover the complex neurobiological processes triggered by the moment of first attraction and how they change in the long term. With Q&A.

Why are we attracted to some people but not others? And why is attraction sometimes a bolt from the blue, while at others it’s a gentle, slow burn? Join evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Machin in unravelling the tangle of factors that lead to attraction and love. Uncover the complex processes in your body triggered by the moment of first encounter, from your senses being hardwired to assess your potential partner in milliseconds, to the complex algorithm that your brain employs to test compatibility. Explore the neurochemical mechanisms that increase your confidence and drive you to take the first step towards love, and the ability some of us have to smell genetic compatibility. We will also examine different attachment pairings which increase the likelihood of long term success and the influence that genes and environment can have on who we choose. Finally, we look to the future in considering potential pharmaceutical applications of love: will there ever be a drug which will help us attract ‘the one’?

Dr Anna Machin is an evolutionary anthropologist, writer and broadcaster. She is world renowned for her research into the science of human love. She has written two books – The Life of Dad: The Making of the Modern Father and Why We Love: The definitive guide to our most fundamental need – and writes regularly for the Guardian, The Observer, The New York Times and New Scientist. She is the host of the Apple recommended and ARIA nominated podcast How We’re Wired and the tri-weekly science podcast Why? (launching October 2023). She appears regularly on both national and international television and was seen most recently on Planet Sex (BBC) with Cara Delevingne.

 

Seed Talks created a friendly and inclusive atmosphere, it was a really wonderful experience. Thank you Seed Talks for facilitating such a powerful and important platform. 100% recommend you check out a Seed Talk near you!

Anna F.

The evening was brilliant. It was thorough, engaging and informative. I thought he handled the questions from the audience at the end very well and always circled back to what he’d already covered. Bravo.

Becky P.

I've attended a few of your talks over the past few months and have absolutely loved them so first of all thank you so much for bringing joy and understanding to the world of neuroscience.

Joe F