Valentine's Day Special - Is Love at First Sight Real?
St. Francis College Professor Marisa T. Cohen Answers in a Newsweek Video
The idea of love at first sight is a common plot twist in fairytales and rom-coms, but does love at first sight exist? St. Francis College Psychology Professor Marisa T. Cohen explains in a Newsweek video that the phenomenon has more to do with infatuation than Cupid's arrow.
"It's not so much love at first sight, it's more like infatuation at first sight which exists," said Dr. Cohen, who explains that evidence supports infatuation over love because of the halo effect. The halo effect is the tendency for people to judge someone based upon an initial impression. Where dating is concerned, a partner may view a person who is attractive as more intelligent and trustworthy.
Professor Cohen lays out the facts about love in a video produced for Newsweek (Learn about love at first sight http://bit.ly/2stS6Xn).
Dr. Cohen is the author of From First Kiss To Forever: A Scientific Approach to Love (Open Books, 2016), which takes current research and everyday experiences and offers lessons readers can put to use in their own lives.
About Dr. Marisa T. Cohen
Dr. Cohen obtained a B.S. in Biology and Society with a minor in Education from Cornell University. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, with a concentration in Learning, Development, and Instruction from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Associate Professor of Psychology at St. Francis College, she teaches experimental, educational, developmental, and general psychology courses. Cohen co-founded the Self-Awareness and Bonding Lab, which centers on the subfields of relationship science and social psychology. Dr. Cohen's main research interests are gender differences in dating and relationship behaviors, peoples' perceptions of love and infidelity, and consensual non-monogamy.
St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in
Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide
an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City's five boroughs and beyond.
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