Love by Numbers

There are few topics more guaranteed to stir human emotions than romance. Whether you are in a wonderful relationship, have loved and lost, given up in frustration or are simply still looking, it's a fair bet that love, or the pursuit of it, is never that far from your thoughts. Success in finding the 'perfect' partner sometimes seem to depend more on timing and luck than skill. On the other hand, there are those fortunate enough to be blessed with such good looks that they have no difficulty in finding dates, while others wistfully contemplate if there is anybody out there who has any interest in them at all. But is there perhaps more to it than that? Are we pre- programmed to find our allotted place somewhere between Cleopatra and Quasimodo or are there loop-holes in the statistics of sex? Statistician John Croucher could not resist the temptation to delve into the evident association between romance and figures, mainly by unearthing captivating survey results from research carried out on amorous activities. Dr Croucher uses these to wrest many wonderful underlying secrets and rules from Venus' sometimes jealous arms. The result is this fascinating survey of the human impulses that drive our strategies for, and attitudes and responses to dating, relationships and sex. A dating handbook it is not, but you know what they say - a little knowledge can go a long, long way...