Nova's PicksThe Science of Love: Building Relationships That Last
A growth plan grounded in attachment theory, relationship science, and clinical psychology — moving from understanding why we love the way we do, to developing the specific skills that build lasting, secure bonds.
1. Module 1 · Why You Love the Way You Do
The psychological foundations of romantic attachment.
Attached
Understanding whether you're anxious, avoidant, or secure is the most important insight for anyone in or seeking a relationship.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
Lindsay Gibson's compassionate roadmap for recognizing and healing the childhood emotional wounds that drive adult relationship patterns.
The Drama of the Gifted Child
Alice Miller's psychoanalytic classic on unmet childhood emotional needs.
2. Module 2 · The Skills of Lasting Love
Research-based practices for building emotional safety, repairing conflict, and creating the conditions where genuine intimacy can exist.
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
John Gottman's landmark research from the Love Lab: the specific behaviors that predict relationship success or failure.
Hold Me Tight
Sue Johnson's Emotionally Focused Therapy translated for couples.
Nonviolent Communication
Marshall Rosenberg's essential practice for speaking needs and hearing others.
3. Module 3 · Growing Together Over Time
Love across the full arc of a relationship — how couples maintain vitality, navigate life's hardest passages, and build something that deepens rather than erodes over decades.
Eight Dates
John and Julie Gottman's research-backed couple's practice: eight specific conversations that build trust, meaning, and intimacy throughout a relationship's lifetime.
Mating in Captivity
Esther Perel's provocative exploration of the tension between security and desire.
All About Love
Transforming how you understand every relationship in your life.
Option B
Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant's deeply personal and research-backed guide to building resilience after loss.