What Shapes the Way We Love?

Unlikely Collaborators Hosts Relationship Scientist and Therapist Dr. Marisa T. Cohen for a Spark Salon on Love, Connection, and the Hidden Patterns That Influence Relationships

LOS ANGELES, June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Why do we keep repeating the same relationship patterns? Why can intimacy feel so difficult, even when what we want most is connection? And how do our beliefs about ourselves shape the way we experience love?

On Wednesday, June 24 at 7 p.m. PT, Unlikely Collaborators will host relationship scientist and therapist Dr. Marisa T. Cohen for a Spark Salon exploring the psychology of love and the hidden emotional patterns that influence the way people connect. The evening, titled Modern Love: The Search for Connection, examines how attachment, vulnerability, rejection, and unconscious assumptions shape the way we experience relationships.

At the heart of the conversation is a simple but profound idea: relationships do not just reveal who we love and they reveal how we love.

Drawing from years of research, clinical practice, and her work helping individuals and couples navigate change, Dr. Cohen explores how experiences from childhood, family dynamics, culture, and previous relationships quietly influence the stories people carry about trust, worthiness, intimacy, and belonging.

While technology has transformed how people meet and communicate, many of the challenges people face in relationships are deeply human and timeless. Feelings of rejection, fear of vulnerability, misunderstandings, and unmet expectations often arise not simply from other people, but from the assumptions and emotional patterns through which we interpret connection itself.

Rather than offering dating strategies or focusing on surface behaviors, this conversation invites audiences to look inward. Through the lens of the Perception Box framework, attendees will explore how beliefs, experiences, and emotional conditioning shape the way they see themselves and others and what becomes possible when those patterns are brought into awareness.

By better understanding the stories we carry about love, people can create greater space for authenticity, compassion, and more meaningful connection.

The evening will take place in person at Unlikely Collaborators' Santa Monica headquarters and will also be livestreamed online.

Event Schedule

6:00 p.m. — Doors open and reception

7:00 p.m. — Program begins promptly (late entry not permitted)

8:00 p.m. — Reception

Cost: Free (registration required)

Register to attend in person (limited availability)

Register to join live online

About Marisa T. Cohen, PhD, LMFT, CST

Dr. Marisa T. Cohen is a relationship scientist, licensed marriage and family therapist, and AASECT-certified sex therapist whose work bridges research and clinical practice to help people cultivate deeper, more meaningful relationships.

She is the founder of Embracing Change Marriage and Family Therapy, where she works with individuals, couples, and families to foster understanding, growth, and connection. Dr. Cohen is the author of From First Kiss to Forever: A Scientific Approach to Love, which translates relationship science into practical insight for everyday life.

A two-time TEDx speaker, Dr. Cohen has appeared on CNN, BRIC TV, and in Newsweek, and has been quoted in The Washington Post, BBC, NPR, The Cut, Good Housekeeping, and numerous other outlets. Her work focuses on the psychology of love, attachment, intimacy, and healthy relationships.

About Spark Salons

Spark Salons are a signature program of Unlikely Collaborators, the nonprofit founded by Elizabeth R. Koch. These gatherings bring together researchers, artists, thought leaders, and collaborators for conversations that challenge assumptions, expand perspectives, and deepen human connection.

Watch the Spark Salons Trailer

About Unlikely Collaborators

Unlikely Collaborators is a nonprofit founded by Elizabeth R. Koch dedicated to helping people better understand themselves and one another. Through the Perception Box^™ framework, the idea that beliefs, experiences, emotions, and conditioning shape how we interpret the world. The organization creates experiences, content, and conversations that foster greater self-awareness, curiosity, and connection.

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SOURCE Unlikely Collaborators