Cynicism and romance aren’t the best of bed-fellows … which may go some way to explaining why I’m still a bachelor. Still, gripes aside, the cynical part of my always gets a warm glow when science manages to debunk another myth about the mystical sanctity of love – like when I read that new research suggests "love at first sight" is actually a function of narcissism rather than a bolt from the blue:

"Social signals about how attracted someone else is to you actually seem to be quite important," [Jones] said. "You are attracted to people who are attracted to you, and that shows attractiveness is not just about physical beauty."

Lucky for me, eh? That knowledge should keep me warm through the long winter nights. Now, where’s my violin … [Image by Binkley27]