logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
36m 37s

How We Love

The Bertarelli Foundation
About this episode

What is love? What's happening in our brains when we're falling for someone? And why are we wired for forming deep, meaningful connections? 

In this episode of How We’re Wired, join evolutionary anthropologist and love expert Dr Anna Machin as she unpicks the neuroscience of love, from the genetic unpinning of our strongest relationships to the neurochemicals that bond us together. Plus, the story of a couple facing the challenges of making long-distance love work.   

With special thanks to Serafin, Megan, and Bianca Acevedo.    

How We’re Wired is a Fresh Air Production for The Bertarelli Foundation. Follow now so you never miss an episode.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Nov 2023
When We Ask You A Question
What do you want to know about the brain? What mysteries of human behaviour do you want to understand? And what incredible awards has How We're Wired won in the 13th Annual Lovies? In this special episode, Dr Anna Machin shares some good news, and asks a quick favour... Send ques ... Show More
2m 15s
Jul 2023
Finale - How Are We Wired?
How do our brains get wired up in the womb? Why is it important that nerve cells find the correct partners to form connections? And how has our understanding of this vital process changed over the last 40 years? In this special episode, join evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Ma ... Show More
35m 41s
Jul 2023
Introducing... Ocean Matters
How We're Wired season 1's final episode will be with you next week, but in the meantime, why not check out our sister podcast Ocean Matters? Our ocean is the earth's defining feature. But the blue of our blue planet is so much more than just a colour. It is rich with life and pl ... Show More
4m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
Let’s talk about love
Valentine’s Day is here - the one day of the year where you can be unashamedly romantic and splash out on posh dinners, flowers and chocolates for your beloved. So we dig into the science of love. First, we find out about a monogamous rodent that has a special way of forming life ... Show More
49m 29s
Feb 2024
Your Brain On... Love
<p dir="ltr">Neurochemically, what is love? How can neuroscience help us maintain long-term relationships? Is heartbreak real?</p> <p dir="ltr">In this episode, we discuss the neuroscience and psychology of:</p> <p dir="ltr">• Why falling in love can feel so stressful</p> <p dir= ... Show More
43m 19s
Oct 21
The Science of Love: What Your Brain Knows and Your Heart Gets Wrong
<p>Love isn’t just about butterflies; it’s brain chemistry, choices, and the habits you build together. In this episode, Dr. Gary Lewandowski (Chief Love Scientist at LoveStrategies) unpacks the science behind passion, intimacy, and commitment, how to tell real love from impostor ... Show More
30m 37s
Dec 2024
Love, Evolution & The Science Behind Relationship Patterns | Dr. Tara Swart EP 821
<p>Have you listened to the <a href="http://greatness.lnk.to/1629" target="_blank">FULL EPISODE yet?</a></p><p>"When you become a dad for the first time, oxytocin rewires your brain so that you're more into bonding and less into the testosterone competitive stuff." - Dr. Tara Swa ... Show More
4m 28s
Jun 2024
8. The science behind love + the big fat So Cultured quiz
<p>It’s our last episode of season 2!! We cannot believe it.</p><p>Today we are going to be talking about LOVE… No, it is not valentines day but Yaz has some interesting stories about her love life and she delves into what’s going on in the science behind this crazy emotion.</p>< ... Show More
1h 2m
Feb 2025
Sunday Pick: How to find connection – and love – in everyday life (w/ Barbara Fredrickson) | How to Be a Better Human
<p>Romantic love isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – at least that’s one way positive psychologist Barbara Fredrickson puts it. Barbara’s decades of research suggest that emotions outside of our narrow definition of love are just as important to our well-being. In this episode, Bar ... Show More
33m 19s
May 2025
The Science of Love, Desire and Attachment - Psychology vs your Biology
Love isn’t just a feeling, it’s a pattern. And patterns, when understood, can be changed. We are the descendants of beings who bonded, lusted, and survived—not by chance, but by biology. In this episode, we explore the elegant architecture of love, divided into three distinct exp ... Show More
23m 44s
Feb 2025
Valentine’s Day Isn’t Just for Romance—The Science of Deep Friendships
Love isn’t just about romance. This Valentine’s Day, we’re exploring the power of deep nonromantic bonds. Host Rachel Feltman sits down with Rhaina Cohen, a producer and editor for NPR’s podcast Embedded and author of The Other Significant Others, to discuss the history and psych ... Show More
17m 2s
Oct 31
Jane G. Goldberg, "Wired for Why: How We Think, Feel, and Make Meaning" (2025)
WIRED FOR WHY: How We Think, Feel and Make Meaning. (Self-Published 2025) spans eighteen chapters exploring everything from how we manage to stay alive against all odds, to why language separates us from other species, to whether death might be a metaphor. It's a journey through ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 9
Why Brains Need Friends w/ Dr. Ben Rein
This week, Scott sits down with Dr. Ben Rein, a Stanford neuroscientist and one of today’s most engaging science communicators. Dr. Rein has spent over a decade studying the neuroscience of social interaction, and his new book, Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social ... Show More
1h 3m