Lust, Limerence and Why We Love w/ Dr Anna Machin

Lust, Limerence and Why We Love w/ Dr Anna Machin

From The Hook Up by triplej

April 29, 2026 · 39 min

About this episode

Dr Anna Machin discusses the differences between lust, limerence, and love, exploring the complexities of romantic relationships.

What's the difference between lust, limerence and love? Can love be addictive? Is romantic love technically even real? And if love is so natural to humans then why do we struggle with it? These are just a few of the questions we get answered by world renowned evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Machin, an expert whose research focuses on why we love. SHOW NOTES: Your love stories pod ep: Is Monogamy natural? pod ep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmlHf6yvSb4 Where you can find Dr Machin's work: https://annamachin.com/ DM us your thoughts, questions, topics, or to just vent at @triplejthehookup on IG or email us: thehookup@abc.net.au The Hook Up is an ABC podcast, produced by triple j. It is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land where we live, work, and learn.

People in this episode

Host: triple j

Guest: Dr Anna Machin

Topics covered

  • lust
  • limerence
  • love
  • romantic relationships
  • evolutionary anthropology

Keywords

  • lust
  • limerence
  • love
  • addiction
  • evolutionary anthropology
  • relationships
  • human behavior

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ABC

Places: Wurundjeri, Kulin nation

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