One knight consoling another knight on the ground

The Swooning Knights of Medieval Stories

In romantic literature of the fourteenth and fifteen centuries, fainting wasn’t just for ladies.
Beethoven's Apotheose by Eduard Majsch

The Mystery of Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved”

More than 200 years have passed since Beethoven wrote a passionate letter to his "Immortal Beloved." We still don't know her name.
A painting of Queen Eleanor by Anthony Frederick Sandys

Eleanor of Aquitaine’s “Court of Love”

Allegedly, the noblewomen of Poitiers solved the problems of love, lost and found. But was the court real, or was it just the fanciful invention of historians?
A broken heart illustration

Only Love Can Break Your Heart?

Broken heart syndrome, or Takotsubo syndrome, is thought to be caused by stress. It seems to be on the increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cover for Au Revoir, But Not Goodbye

Send Your Valentine a Song

These love songs from the Bowling Green State University Sheet Music Collection make the perfect gift. Plus, the covers are gorgeous.
The Visit, 1746, Pietro Longhi

Socially Sanctioned Love Triangles of Romantic-Era Italy

Eighteenth-century Italian noblewomen had one indispensable accessory: an extramarital lover.
A man texting at night in his home

Why You Want to Text Your Ex in Quarantine

The psychology behind your urge to connect.
Emma and Charles Darwin

Darwin in Love

Charles Darwin, who of all people should have known better, married his first cousin. Did his love for Emma color his later works?
An illustration from an 1897 edition of Persuasion

The Physical Pleasures of Jane Austen’s Persuasion

Smoldering glances? Romantic letters? Forbidden love? Why Persuasion may be the most seductive of Jane Austen's novels.
Two heart-shaped balloons against a pink background

Rethinking Love and Autism

Scholars question the common conception that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder don't experience love like neurotypical people do.