Science and Moral Life   /   Spring 2013   /    Book Reviews

Eva Illouz’s Why Love Hurts: A Sociological Explanation

Ana Marta González

Why Love Hurts represents an important contribution to the sociology of emotions. It is a persuasive proof of the relevance of sociology for understanding not only the outer social world but also the inner psychic world. Or, to put it more accu- rately, it is a convincing proof of our deeply social nature, insofar as it shows that intimate psychic suffering  can be better understood in the light of a detailed account of the social and cultural transformations presupposed by our choices. This means that intimate psychic suffering has, in a significant sense, a social dimension, which can be better explored by the sociology of emotions than by mere psycho- logical introspection.

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