In recent years, the provocative work of couples therapist Esther Perel has resonated in the popular culture by exploring the dynamics of eroticism in long-term relationships and what the all-too-common experience of infidelity can teach us about the paradoxes of the search for intimate connection in today’s world. In her new book, The State of Affairs, and her popular podcast, Where Should We Begin? Perel has opened up a wider cultural conversation about our notions of traditional couplehood and the role therapists might play in helping couples explore beyond our one-size-fits-all notions of intimacy and commitment.
Perel will look at the ways our relational lives are undergoing a radical makeover. She’ll discuss the rise of algorithm as matchmaker, the commodification of human beings in the swiping culture, and the pressure to curate enviable lives on social media. In this keynote, you’ll explore: