The Science of Modern Dating: Understanding 21st-Century Relationships (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798294226701)

Dating apps promised to revolutionize romance. Instead, they created a psychological wasteland where authentic connection has been replaced by endless optimization, swipe fatigue, and the commodification of human intimacy. This unflinching examination reveals how an entire generation has been reduced to profiles, metrics, and algorithmic matches-with devastating consequences for our ability to form lasting relationships.

Drawing parallels to John Calhoun's infamous "Universe 25" experiment, where mice in a seeming utopia descended into behavioral chaos and reproductive collapse, this book exposes the uncomfortable truth: our digital dating ecosystem mirrors the same pathological patterns that destroyed Calhoun's mouse society. We've created our own behavioral sink, complete with endless profile grooming, approach anxiety, and the gradual abandonment of traditional courtship.

What you'll discover:

• Why the "paradox of choice" in dating apps leads to decision paralysis and chronic dissatisfaction
• The hidden psychological costs of hookup culture, backed by research most dating advice ignores
• How economic realities-from housing costs to student debt-have fundamentally altered the romance timeline
• The neurochemical effects of gamified dating on dopamine pathways and attachment formation
• Why our grandparents' generation had better relationship outcomes despite "knowing less" about psychology

This isn't another self-help guide promising to crack the code of modern romance. Instead, it's a data-driven autopsy of how algorithmic capitalism colonized our most intimate experiences. Equal parts sociology, psychology, and cultural criticism, it challenges readers to confront an uncomfortable reality: the system isn't broken-it's working exactly as designed, prioritizing engagement over genuine connection.

For anyone who's ever wondered why dating feels harder than ever despite having access to more potential partners than any generation in history, this book provides the uncomfortable answers our culture has been avoiding.

A must-read for anyone ready to understand why love became a product-and what we need to do to reclaim it.

Perfect for readers of Sherry Turkle's "Alone Together," Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death," and anyone who suspects that modern romance has become something fundamentally different from what humans evolved to experience.