William Jankowiak, a Pioneer in the Cross-Cultural Anthropology of Love, Passed Away

Posted on October 1, 2026 by Mateo Martinez

With profound sadness, the International Institute of Love and Relationship Studies shares the news of the passing of William (Bill) R. Jankowiak on July 19, 2026.

William Jankowiak (1956–2026), a distinguished figure in anthropology, significantly influenced our understanding of love, intimacy, and family structure across cultures. His innovative research, which challenged Western-centric assumptions about interpersonal relationships, substantially contributed to the anthropology of intimacy and established the cross-cultural study of love as a legitimate field of anthropological research. He was a pioneering figure whose lifelong work demonstrated that romantic love is not a unique Western cultural construct but rather a fundamental, cross-cultural experience present across diverse societies worldwide.

Colleagues in anthropology, international research networks, and public media have published tributes honoring his life, his generous mentorship, and his monumental scholarly achievements.

The Diversity of Love Journal has published a full tribute article titled Tribute to William Jankowiak: A Pioneer in Cross-Cultural Anthropology of Love, where you can read more about his landmark cross-cultural studies, his immersive fieldwork in urban China, his exploration of the dynamics of plural love and families, and personal reminiscences from his colleagues and peers.

Revisiting John Lee’s Theory of Love Styles: A Recent Collection of Articles in the Diversity of Love Journal

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Mateo Martinez

For those interested in the psychological, sociological, and historical foundations of love styles, below is a collection of new review articles presenting several compelling topics. These articles published in the Diversity of Love Journal challenge the common reduction of love styles to simple survey metrics and casual labels, offering theoretical, methodological, and historical perspectives on how individuals and cultures conceptualize the ways they love. Highlighting original card-sorting narrative methods, cultural foundations, and individual primary and secondary styles of love, these pieces reveal the complexity behind how people experience and maintain their love relationships.

Enjoy your reading!

John Lee’s Typology of Love Styles: The Original Theory Explained

What are the different types of love? Since the middle of the 20th century, the typology of love has been an interesting topic of inquiry for many people and love researchers. Scholars of love have proposed many different types of … Continue reading →

Exploring Love Styles Through Narratives: Revisiting J. Lee’s Original Method

How John Lee’s Card Interview Technique can restore depth to research on love. In the 1970s, sociologist John Alan Lee transformed relationship research with a groundbreaking, interactive “Love Story Card Sort.” Over the decades, however, his narrative method was … Continue reading →

How Cultural Ideologies Framed Modern Styles of Love

Why do we love the way we do? While contemporary psychology often treats love styles as individual traits, Canadian sociologist John Alan Lee recognized deeper roots of the way we love. It appears that our personal experiences of love are … Continue reading →

The Evolution of Love Typologies: From Lee’s Love Styles to Hendrick’s Love Attitudes

Over the last several decades, researchers of love have shifted from Lee’s comprehensive understanding of “love styles” to Hendrick’s variable-driven “love attitudes” for psychometric convenience—and in the process, lost the rich, hierarchical structure of individual orientations in love. This synthesis … Continue reading →

The Pragma Style of Love: Understanding the Practical Path to Compatibility

When John Lee introduced his color theory of love in the 1970s, he provided a rich, multi-faceted typology of how people experience and express love. Over time, however, popular literature and simplified measurement tools have condensed these vibrant styles into … Continue reading →

The Agape Style of Love: Understanding the Altruistic Path to Devotion

While modern discourse of love and relationship often centers on chemistry (Eros) or compatibility (Pragma), long-term relational stability frequently hinges on a far deeper psychological framework: altruistic devotion. In this article, I explore the multi-layered architecture of unconditional care in … Continue reading →

The Mania Style of Love: Understanding Obsessive Passion and Relational Insecurity

Love can be a source of deep security, but for some, it is defined by constant volatility, possessiveness, and an intense fear of loss. Known as the Mania love style, this style of love combines passionate romanticism with deep relational … Continue reading →

The Storge Style of Love: Understanding the Companionate Path to Stability

When we talk about ‘storgic love,’ we often reduce it to a simple label: love based on friendship. But sociology pioneer John Alan Lee’s original 1970s theory was far richer, framing Storge not as a simple dimension but as a … Continue reading →

The Ludus Style of Love: Understanding the Playful Path to Autonomy

Reclaiming the Complexity of John Lee’s Ludus Style of Love Modern relationship research often reduces the Ludus style of love to a simple score on a survey—tagging it as mere casual dating or uncommitted game-playing. But Canadian sociologist John Alan … Continue reading →

The Eros Style of Love: Understanding the Sensual Path to Physical Attraction

This article reassesses John Alan Lee’s seminal typology of love styles, examining how the original depth of the Eros archetype—defined by intense sensuality, physical attraction, and aesthetic alignment—was lost as holistic narrative methods gave way to simplified survey metrics like … Continue reading →

Enjoy your reading!

If you are interested in publishing your review articles for this journal, feel free to reach out to the International Institute of Love Studies at love.studies.institute@gmail.com.

Ellen Berscheid, a Prominent Researcher in the Psychology of Love, Passed Away

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Mateo Martinez

With profound sadness, the Institute of Love Studies shares news that Ellen Berscheid, an American social psychologist and one of the pioneering researchers in the studies of love and interpersonal relationships, passed away on May 22, 2025.

Ellen S. Berscheid (1936-2025), a distinguished figure in social psychology, significantly influenced our understanding of interpersonal attraction, love, and close relationships. Her innovative research, in collaboration with her prominent colleague Elaine Hatfield (formerly Walster), substantially contributed to relationship science and established it as a legitimate scientific field of research.

Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), colleagues in Social Psychology, and public media published tributes to her life and scholarly achievements.

The Diversity of Love Journal has published a Tribute for Ellen Berscheid, a Prominent Researcher in the Social Psychology of Love and Relationship where you can read more about her outstanding contributions to the psychological explorations of love.