Dawn Maslar

How do you fall in love? That was the question I set out to answer. As a biologist, I understand what happens to the brain when you fall in love. It is the increase or decrease of certain neurotransmitters that give you that unmistakable euphoric feeling of love. But, how do you get there? What causes one person to fall in love and not another? As I pondered this question, I had the opportunity to explore it with my cousin, who has a PhD in Biochemistry.

It's a time to take inventory—to look at yourself and explore what happened. If you could start over, do the whole relationship over, would you do anything differently? If so, what? The ending of a relationship gives you an opportunity to decide what you liked and what you didn’t like—about the other person, about yourself in the relationship, and about all the other particulars of the relationship itself.

As one year ends and another begins, people start thinking about what they want to change in their lives. Last year, Paula was one of those people.She came to me with a common problem. She loved the idea of being in a relationship, but she hated the process of dating. (If you're in a relationship, keep reading; this pertains to you, too).She complained that the anxiety of dating was too stressful, and if she was meant to have a relationship, she would simply meet Mr. Right. The problem?