A study of unrequited love: assistant professor of journalism discusses research on Academic Minute

Lisa A. Phillips,  assistant professor of journalism, was featured on the nationally syndicated educational radio program “The Academic Minute,” on June 12.

In her audio essay, Philips, who is the author of “Unrequited: Women and Romantic Obsession,” speaks about the effect unrequited love has on inspiration.

“’Tis better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all.’ This quote is often used to soothe people whose hearts have been broken,” said Phillips. “But we don’t always know what it means. In my interviews with people who have gone through romantic rejection and my research into the history, psychology, and science of unrequited love, I found that Alfred Lord Tennyson’s sentiment can hold true, particularly for creative people.”

In “Unrequited” Phillips supplements her own story with extensive social science research. Also included are accounts of other women who have been in obsessive love and the people who have been its target, accounts culled from deeply personal interviews gathered over the course of six years writing this book.

“What I want to do is help people going through this type of experience feel less alone, and help them see plainly the nature of what they are doing — when they are crossing a line, and when they can turn the energy of that obsession in another way, to help them benefit themselves,” Phillips explains.

The act of sharing these stories is confessional, says Phillips, “but I think it’s also a service. People have reached out to me and told me, ‘Your story gave me hope.’ That was powerful.”

A former public radio journalist, Phillips is also the author of “Public Radio: Behind the Voices.” She’s written for The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and many other national publications.

To listen to Phillips’ Academic Minute or read a transcript, visit http://academicminute.org/2015/06/lisa-phillips-suny-new-paltz-a-study-of-unrequited-love/.

About “The Academic Minute”
“The Academic Minute” is an educationally focused radio segment produced by WAMC in Albany, N.Y., a National Public Radio member station. The show features an array of faculty from colleges and universities across the country to discuss the unique, high-impact aspects of their research. The program airs every weekday and is run multiple times during the day on about 50 different member stations across the National Public Radio spectrum. For more information, visit http://academicminute.org/.