Background

“In the 1960s and 1970s, during the heyday of research on early romantic relationships, the focus was almost entirely on initial romantic attraction. With the inception of attachment theory as a major framework for studying romantic relationships, researchers shifted their attention toward the examination of intact relationship dynamics… As a result of this shift, many early relationship processes outside of initial attraction remain underinvestigated — especially from an attachment perspective. In particular, we know very little concerning how people progress from not dating to casually dating and finally committing to a romantic partner”

From Schindler, I., Fagundes C. P., & Murdock, K. W., (2010). Predictors of romantic relationship formation: Attachment style, prior relationships, and dating goals. Personal Relationships, 17(1), 97–105.

About Interpersonal Science

The technological innovations of the early twenty first century have changed the way we do business, communicate, and spend our leisure time; it is not surprising that they have also changed the way we meet others and form romantic relationships. These new challenges exist not in isolation but rather in concert with the many other difficulties that have impacted people’s social lives for generations. Despite these changes, and the growing body of knowledge which suggests that a health love life is critical for overall happiness, there has been little research in the behavioral and social sciences aimed at understanding problems with relationship formation. We founded Interpersonal Science to fill this gap. We seek to encourage the development of new research and treatments for men and women who struggle to initiate and develop romantic relationships.

It is not an exaggeration to say that romantic partners are among the most important relationships in a person’s life, and the quality of these relationships has a direct effect on overall quality of life. Research has again and again confirmed that people with happy and healthy love lives are better adjusted, report well-being, and experience fewer psychiatric symptoms. Given the importance of this area of life, it is surprising that there are not more resources available for people who need a little help. Most often, when someone struggles with forming relationships they turn to friends, whose advice is often less helpful than it is well-intentioned.

Using cutting edge technology and state of the art psychological research, we aim to understand the factors that impact the formation of relationships. We seek to apply the results of this research to enable men and women to initiate and develop healthy romantic relationships. Our research is driven by real-world dilemmas, and is designed to be applicable to real-world situations. Our goal is to bring time-tested empirical methodology to one of the most important arenas of human interpersonal functioning, and thereby educate and empower individuals to pursue and develop fulfilling love lives.