Changes: Helen Fisher (anthropologist)

Latest revision as of 02:34, 23 August 2014

Personality: Self concept · Personality testing · Theories · Mind-body problem

Helen Fisher (born 1945) is an anthropology professor and human behavior researcher at the Rutgers University and is one of the major researchers in the field of interpersonal chemistry.^[1]^[2]^[3] Prior to becoming a research professor at Rutgers University, she was a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

By many accounts, including her own, Fisher is considered the world’s leading expert on the topic of love.^[4] Presently, Fisher is the most referenced scholar in the love research community. In 2005, she was hired by match.com to help structure the chemistry.com pair-matching website using both hormonal-based and personality-based matching techniques. She was one of the main speakers at the 2006 TED (conference).

Research

1992

In 1992, anthropologist Helen Fisher, in her ground-breaking book the Anatomy of Love, postulated three main phases of love:

lust - an intense longing.
attraction - an action that tends to draw people together.
attachment - a bonding progression.

Generally love will start off in the lust phase, strong in passion but weak in the other elements. The primary motivator at this stage is the basic sexual instinct. Appearance, smells, and other similar factors play a decisive role in screening potential mates. However, as time passes on , the other elements may grow and passion may shrink — this depends upon the individual. So what starts as infatuation or empty love may well develop into one of the fuller types of love. At the attraction stage the person concentrates their affection on a single mate and fidelity becomes important.

Likewise, when a person has known a loved one for a long time, they develop a deeper attachment to their partner. According to current scientific understanding of love, this transition from the attraction to the attachment phase usually happens in about 30 months. After that time, the passion fades, changing love from consummate to companionate, or from romantic love to liking.

Similarly, according to psychologist many see love as being a combination of companionate love and passionate love. Passionate love is intense longing, and is often accompanied by sexual arousal (shortness of breath, rapid heart rate). Companionate love is affection and a feeling of intimacy not accompanied by physiological arousal.

2004

Both men and women use physical attractiveness as a measure of how 'good' another person is. Men often tend to value attractiveness more than women. In fMRI brain scans published in 2004 by Rutgers University evolutionary anthropologist Helen Fisher, in the early intense stages of falling in love, there were clear differences in male and female brains^[5]. Men, on average, tended to show more activity in two regions in the brain: one was associated with the integration of visual stimuli, and the second was with penile erection. Conversely, women in these early stages exhibited increased activity in several regions of the brain associated with memory recall. Fisher speculated the evolutionary source was in the need for females to identify males whose behavior over time suggested they would help the female raise her offspring. However, in terms of behavior, some studies suggest little difference between men and women. Symmetrical men and women begin to have sexual intercourse earlier, have more sexual partners, engage in a wider variety of sexual activities and have more casual sex.

2006

In 2006, her MRI research, which showed that the ventral tegmental area and the caudate nucleus become active when people are madly in love, was featured in the (February) National Geographic cover-page article: "Love - the Chemical Reaction".

Four personality types

Fisher distinguishes between four personality types each of which she associates with a body chemical:^[6]

explorer - dopamine
negotiator - estrogen
director - testosterone
builder - serotonin.

References

↑ Fry, Rae (1999). Health Report – Biology of Love – National Radio
↑ Fisher, Helen (2006). The Biology and Evolution of Romantic Love - Stony Brook Mind/Brain Lecture Series, 10th Annual Lecture, March 27.
↑ The Science of Love – BBC News, Nov, 18 (2004).
↑ Doctor of Love - flatrock.org
↑ Fisher, Helen (2004). Why We Love – the Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love, Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-6913-5.
↑ Caravanos, Adelle. (2006). “Love: What’s Science Got to do with It? – Anthropologist Helen Fisher has a new theory about the chemical roots of romance.” Science & the City – Webzine of the New York Academy of Sciences. Feb. 12.

External links

Helen Fisher - University Faculty Page Rutgers University
Helen Fisher - Website
Video of Helen Fisher's talk on gender, sex and love at the TED Conference. Presented February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration 23:39
Interview with Helen Fisher (2006) - about her role in the development of the pair-matching site Chemistry.com
Helen Fisher Blog

de:Helen Fisher

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[1] Fry, Rae (1999). Health Report – Biology of Love – National Radio

[2] Fisher, Helen (2006). The Biology and Evolution of Romantic Love - Stony Brook Mind/Brain Lecture Series, 10th Annual Lecture, March 27.

[3] The Science of Love – BBC News, Nov, 18 (2004).

[4] Doctor of Love - flatrock.org

[5] Fisher, Helen (2004). Why We Love – the Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love, Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-6913-5.

[6] Caravanos, Adelle. (2006). “Love: What’s Science Got to do with It? – Anthropologist Helen Fisher has a new theory about the chemical roots of romance.” Science & the City – Webzine of the New York Academy of Sciences. Feb. 12.

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-'''Helen Fisher''' (born 1945) is an anthropology professor and human behavior researcher at the [[Rutgers University]] and is one of the major researchers in the field of [[interpersonal chemistry]].<ref>Fry, Rae (1999). [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/stories/s49793.htm Health Report – Biology of Love] – National Radio </ref><ref>Fisher, Helen (2006). [http://www.theswartzfoundation.org/mind-brain-2006.asp The Biology and Evolution of Romantic Love] - Stony Brook Mind/Brain Lecture Series, 10th Annual Lecture, March 27.</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/love/ The Science of Love] – BBC News, Nov, 18 (2004).</ref>  Prior to becoming a research professor at Rutgers University, she was a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
+'''Helen Fisher''' (born 1945) is an anthropology professor and human behavior researcher at the [[Rutgers University]] and is one of the major researchers in the field of [[interpersonal chemistry]].<ref>Fry, Rae (1999). [http://web.archive.org/web/20000706225348/http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/stories/s49793.htm Health Report – Biology of Love] – National Radio </ref><ref>Fisher, Helen (2006). [http://www.theswartzfoundation.org/mind-brain-2006.asp The Biology and Evolution of Romantic Love] - Stony Brook Mind/Brain Lecture Series, 10th Annual Lecture, March 27.</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/love/ The Science of Love] – BBC News, Nov, 18 (2004).</ref>  Prior to becoming a research professor at Rutgers University, she was a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
 By many accounts, including her own, Fisher is considered the world’s leading expert on the topic of love.<ref>[http://flatrock.org.nz/topics/relationships/what_does_love_mean.htm Doctor of Love] - flatrock.org</ref>  Presently, Fisher is the most referenced scholar in the love research community.  In 2005, she was hired by [http://www.match.com match.com] to help structure the [http://www.chemistry.com chemistry.com] pair-matching website using both hormonal-based and personality-based matching techniques. She was one of the main speakers at the 2006 [[TED (conference)]].