How to Fall in Love with Someone | Yale Conversations with David Brooks | Yale University

In this Yale Conversations lecture, author and columnist David Brooks draws on two decades of research into social connection — including his books The Social Animal and How to Know a Person — to examine the psychology and conditions of romantic love. Brooks argues that meritocratic culture makes love harder than it should be, traces the neuroscience of attachment and what distinguishes lasting commitment from infatuation, and offers a framework for thinking practically about one of the most consequential choices a person makes. The lecture took place on April 20, 2026, at Yale University. A Q&A follows.