Your perfect person doesn’t have to be perfect

Your perfect person doesn’t have to be perfect

From Think from KERA by KERA

April 20, 2026 · 46 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of looking past imperfections in dating and features insights from psychologist Paul Eastwick.

In dating, finding “the one” might be easier if you stop assuming “the one” will be a perfect match. Paul Eastwick is professor of psychology at UC Davis, where he serves as the head of the Social-Personality Psychology program and the director of the Attraction and Relationships Research Laboratory. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we need to look past imperfections when choosing a mate, why what we know about evolutionary biology has been exaggerated, and the pros and cons of dating apps. His book is “ Bonded by Evolution: The New Science of Love and Connection .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

People in this episode

Host: Krys Boyd

Guest: Paul Eastwick

Topics covered

  • dating
  • relationships
  • imperfections
  • evolutionary biology
  • dating apps

Keywords

  • dating
  • relationships
  • imperfections
  • evolutionary biology
  • dating apps
  • psychology
  • love

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UC Davis

Books & works: Bonded by Evolution: The New Science of Love and Connection

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