MAKING LOVE

"Making Love^® is an exciting
contribution to relationship
building in America. Love
and marriage are too pre-
cious to be left to chance.
Epstein offers a much
needed corrective.”
—Diane Sollee, MSW, founder &
director, Coalition for Marriage,
Family and Couples Education

In a 2002 editorial in Psychology Today, distinguished research psychologist Dr. Robert Epstein — then editor-in-chief of the magazine — announced his intention to embark on a daring personal experiment: He and a relative stranger would sign a Love Contract in which they committed themselves to deliberately falling in love with each other with the help of skilled counselors. His "love project" generated more than 200 news stories in more than a dozen countries, as well as requests from more than 1,000 women to sign the Love Contract! Dr. Epstein's assertion that people can be deliberate about creating love certainly struck a nerve. Is he correct?

To read "How Science Can Help You Fall in Love," Dr. Epstein's Jan/Feb 2010 cover story in Scientific American Mind, click here. And to read a recent commentary on Dr. Epstein's work on love in the Washington Post, click here.

“Dr. Epstein reveals the
practical skills people need
to deliberately create love–
and not just fleeting love,
but love that will grow
deeper over time.”
—John Gray, Ph.D.,
Men Are from Mars,
Women Are from Venus

Based on scientific studies, interviews he has conducted with couples in happy, loving arranged marriages, and his own research and experiences, Dr. Epstein believes that people can indeed learn to love—that we don't need to leave our love lives entirely to chance, as most Westerners do now. He rejects the love myths perpetuated by Hollywood movies: that we have a single "soul mate" or that couples live "happily ever after." Healthy love relationships, he believes, are built on Four Pillars: Commitment, Realistic Expectations, Intimate Knowledge, and Essential Relationship Skills. To learn about Dr. Epstein's landmark relationships course at the University of California, click on his photo (left) to see a relevant story on CBS News.

“Making Love® is a remarkable and
much needed departure from the
usual reality TV format. It will empower
millions of people to take control
over their love lives.”
—Janice R. Levine, Ph.D., couples therapist;
co-author, Why Do Fools Fall in Love?

Dr. Epstein is helping to create a new proactive kind of counseling—Love Counseling—that will help people build solid, lasting love relationships supported by the Four Pillars. He has also created an innovative, comprehensive new test of Love Skills—the seven essential skill-sets we need to be successful in long-term love relationships. The test, the Epstein Love Competencies Inventory (or ELCI, pronounced like the name "Elsie") can be taken free of charge by clicking here or by visiting MyLoveSkills.com.

“Epstein starts with psychology and
a simple idea. While love can sometimes
be a ‘coup de foudre,’ a thunderbolt, it
often grows over time and with
experience. He’s right, of course....
This will be appointment viewing.”
—Kevin Roberts, Worldwide CEO,
Saatchi & Saatchi

To read Dr. Epstein's "Answers to 50 Questions from the Media" regarding his Love Project, click here. To download a copy of Dr. Epstein's essay, "The Truth About Online Dating" (Scientific American Mind, February 2007), click here. To read "From Russia With Love"—an essay about how Dr. Epstein was deceived by a sexy online computer program—click here.

“Love doesn’t have to rely on the
click of Cupid’s wand; it can be
‘made,’ says the author of the
upcoming book, Making Love. Just as
mainstream culture has absorbed
the notion that we can work to
improve our physiques and our
careers, says Dr. Epstein, we’ll
come to accept that we can ‘work’
on marriage and love.”
—Christian Science Monitor

To get an advanced peek at MAKING LOVE®—a reality TV show Dr. Epstein is developing with a production company in Los Angeles—check out the recent article from Advertising Age here. The show has drawn praise from thought leaders around the country, including Kevin Roberts, Worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world's top advertising firms; click here to read Roberts' article.

“Making Love® will have more
audience participation than ‘American
Idol’ and more product tie-ins than
‘The Price Is Right,’ and it also might
just change the way people find love
in the western world.”
—Michael Levine, publicist;
author, Guerilla PR 2.0

Dr. Epstein is also currently working on a book on this topic called Making Love: How People Learn to Love, and How You Can Too, based in part on interviews he has been conducting in recent years with couples in loving, successful arranged marriages around the world. To participate in his ongoing study, click here.

"Making Love® won’t be just another
reality TV show. It will change the
whole love game completely.”
—Suneet Wadhwa, founder, Engage.com

The Chautaqua Institution (audience of 3,000) ▪ National Inventors Hall of Fame ▪ The Smithsonian Institution ▪ Procter & Gamble ▪ Bayer ▪ Nestlé ▪ Dupont Merck ▪ Respironics ▪ City of Brea (California) ▪ Adhesives Manufacturers Association ▪ Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association ▪ Army Research Institute ▪ U. S. Army National Training Center ▪ Creative Problem Solving Institute ▪ American Association of Plastic Surgeons ▪ Tenneco ▪ Georgia Power Company ▪ Institute for International Research ▪ Cambridge Institute for Executive Leadership ▪ National Association of Science Writers ▪ American Society of Safety Engineers ▪ TIME ▪ The New York Times ▪ Sports Illustrated ▪ NPR ▪ BBC ▪ Psychology Today ▪ Parenting ▪ Good Housekeeping ▪ USA Today ▪ Boston Globe ▪ New York Post ▪ New York Daily News ▪ National Enquirer ▪ Cosmopolitan ▪ Popular Science ▪ Wired ▪ Advertising Age ▪ New York Sun ▪ Christian Science Monitor ▪ Scientific American Mind ▪ CNBC ▪ Women's Health ▪ Reason ▪ CBS Early Show ▪ Radio Netherlands ▪ Wprost (Poland) ▪ Baltimore Sun ▪ Verdens Gang (Norway) ▪ WHYY (Philadelphia) ▪ Die Zeit (Germany) ▪ Denver Post ▪ Marie Claire ▪ WHDH (Boston) ▪ Sunday Times (London) ▪ London Evening Standard ▪ Sunday Post (Scotland) ▪ Voice of America ▪ National Examiner ▪ Fox News ▪ Swedish National Radio ▪ Cosmogirl ▪ 48 Hours (CBS) ▪ Soap Talk ▪ Observer (London) ▪ The Other Half (NBC) ▪ Sirius Satellite Radio ▪ Elle ▪ Sunday Herald Tribune (Australia) ▪ WABC (New York) ▪ Chicago Sun Times ▪ CNN ▪ Le Nouvel Observateur (France) ▪ Focus (Germany) ▪ Der Spiegel (Germany) ▪ Diario (Italy) ▪ Radio National (Australia) ▪ BBC Radio Scotland ▪ Los Angeles Times ▪ Mail on Sunday (London) ▪ The Daily Mail (London) ▪ Slate.com ▪ New York Daily News ▪ The O'Reilly Factor (Fox) ▪ San Diego Union-Tribune ▪ WROR (New York) ▪ Salon ▪ The Mitch Albom Show (ABC) ▪ The Guardian (London) ▪ Washington Post ▪ Canadian Broadcasting Company ▪ Washington Times ▪ The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet (Fox) ▪ TVO Television (Toronto) ▪ Orlando Sentinel ▪ The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch ▪ Globe and Mail (Toronto) ▪ BBC World Service ▪ BBC Radio Ulster ▪ Text zur Kunst (Germany) ▪ Smart Marriages Annual Meeting (audience of 2,500) ▪ Reader's Digest ▪ Southern Growth Policies Board ▪ Centre for Confidence and Well-Being (Scotland) ▪ University of Strathclyde ▪ International Business School (Isle of Man) ▪ Keio University (Tokyo) ▪ California Western School of Law ▪ Yale University ▪ University of Kyoto (Japan) ▪ Osaka City University (Japan) ▪ Rowland Institute for Science ▪ Marine World (San Francisco) ▪ The Neurosciences Institute ▪ Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality ▪ The Kinsey Institute ▪ American Psychological Association ▪ Association for Behavior Analysis ▪ Lifetime Television Network ▪ CBS Sunday Morning ▪ National Geographic ▪ l'Actualité (Canada) ▪ Smart Money ▪ Rady School of Management ▪ Max Planck Institute for Human Development ▪ iChannel ▪ Daily Herald ▪

The only cure for tough times is innovation....
CREATIVITY & INNOVATION
Embedding creativity and innovation throughout organizations by boosting "creativity competencies"

"Epstein is the only one out there who knows how to embed creativity into an organization from top to bottom—no bull, just concrete, practical techniques that keep creativity flowing day and night."
Michael Levine, author, Guerilla PR 2.0

Dr. Robert Epstein, Harvard-trained re- searcher and professor and former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today, is one of the world's leading experts on creativity and innovation. The developer of the first formal, empirically-based theory of creative expression—Generativity Theory—Dr. Epstein has shown in laboratory experiments that novel behavior in both animals and people emerges in an orderly and predictable way and that such behavior can be precisely engineered. His techniques for boosting creativity and innovation have been applied at companies worldwide, among them Bayer, Nestlé, and Proctor & Gamble.

"We had Dr. Epstein give a multi-day
seminar on creativity for law professors,
and I, for one, was impacted radically.
Barely a day has passed when I don't
consciously try to 'capture' my new
ideas. I consider his work on creativity
to be profoundly important."
Arthur W. Campbell, Professor of Law,
California Western School of Law,
award-winning poet and author

Consistent with Generativity Theory and related research, Dr. Epstein rejects the traditional belief that creativity is mysterious and magical. In discovering the underlying scientific principals behind creative expression, Dr. Epstein has been able to develop powerful techniques for boosting and directing creativity and innovation in individuals and organizations. To download a free copy of Dr. Epstein's e-booklet, Creativity for Crises: Ten Tweaks for Tough Times, click on the icon to the left.

"The year-long program in Brea,
California assessed—then improved—
the creativity skills of city employees,
managers, and contributors. In all,
ideas acted upon by the city raised
$600,000 in new revenue and reduced
expenditures by $3.5 million, ex-
ceeding the goal by $100,000."
The Facilitator, cover story

Embedding. Applying the rigorous research findings of Generativity Theory, Dr. Epstein teaches organizations how to embed creativity and innovation from board room to stock room. Most organizations leave innovation to chance, hoping it will emerge in times of crisis. Epstein shows that small, economical changes in everyday policies and procedures—team utilization, goal setting, evaluations, workplace design, and so on—boosts creative output continuously and permanently, dramatically increasing innovation. To read a recent scientific report about how he and his colleagues turned the city of Brea, California into a "City of Creativity," click here.

CREATIVITY NEWS: From the cover story of the June/July 2008
issue of Scientific American Mind, click here to read about Dr. Epstein's
landmark research on how to "Unleash Your Creativity." And check out
the video of Dr. Epstein talking with advertising guru Donny
Deutsch about how to boost innovation in business on
"The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch" on CNBC.

Assessment. Most tests of creativity label people as either "creative" or "not creative" (or something in between), but Dr. Epstein believes that everyone has roughly equal creative potential, no matter how much creativity they currently express. He has developed a unique, competency-based test of creative expression—the Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory for Individuals (ECCI-i)—a scientifically validated instrument that measures four core skill-sets that individuals need in order to be able to express their creative potential, as well as the Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory for Managers (ECCI-m), that measures eight skill-sets that managers, teachers, and other leaders need in order to help other people to express creativity.

"Epstein’s talk on creativity and innovation at the
Cambridge Forum on Executive Leadership was
one of the most exciting I’ve seen in years."
D. L. Holland, Vice President, Group
Human Resources, Bayer Corporation

Training. Dr. Epstein has also developed dozens of original games and exercises that strengthen these creativity competencies. Some of his scientific papers on this and other topics have been collected in the book Cognition, Creativity, and Behavior: Selected Essays (Praeger). His games and exercises are collected in two books, The Big Book of Creativity Games (McGraw-Hill) and Creativity Games for Trainers (McGraw-Hill). To read an article about Generativity Theory from the Encyclopedia of Creativity, click here. To read about how to train managers to boost creativity in an organization, access Dr. Epstein's article in the Harvard Business Review here.

"As a keynote speaker on creativity
at the National Invention Center,
Dr. Epstein did an excellent job of
stimulating our thinking and
helping us to view our circum-
stances from new perspectives."
Lee Ann Howard; Director of Human
Resources, Nestlé R& D Center

A "mini" ECCI-i test (which does not give separate competency scores) can be taken by clicking here. An abridged ECCI-i test (which does give competency scores) is available in both The Big Book of Creativity Games and Creativity Games for Trainers. The updated, unabridged version of the ECCI-i is available at MyCreativitySkills.com. An unabridged version of the ECCI-m is available here.

"Epstein’s work represents a most
remarkable insight into the creative process."
John Vaught, Inventor, Hewlett-Packard’s
Inkjet printing process

Dr. Epstein is available to give lectures on the scientific approach to understanding and boosting creativity and innovation, to provide relevant consulting services, and, on a limited basis, to lead training seminars that teach creativity competencies. Call Laura at 1-206-339-8311 for details, or write to LauraCraig@OutInFrontPublicity.com.

The Chautaqua Institution (audience of 3,000) ▪ National Inventors Hall of Fame ▪ The Smithsonian Institution ▪ Procter & Gamble ▪ Bayer ▪ Nestlé ▪ Dupont Merck ▪ Respironics ▪ City of Brea (California) ▪ Adhesives Manufacturers Association ▪ Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association ▪ Army Research Institute ▪ U. S. Army National Training Center ▪ Creative Problem Solving Institute ▪ American Association of Plastic Surgeons ▪ Tenneco ▪ Georgia Power Company ▪ Institute for International Research ▪ Cambridge Institute for Executive Leadership ▪ National Association of Science Writers ▪ American Society of Safety Engineers ▪ TIME ▪ The New York Times ▪ Sports Illustrated ▪ NPR ▪ BBC ▪ Psychology Today ▪ Parenting ▪ Good Housekeeping ▪ USA Today ▪ Boston Globe ▪ New York Post ▪ New York Daily News ▪ National Enquirer ▪ Cosmopolitan ▪ Popular Science ▪ Wired ▪ Advertising Age ▪ New York Sun ▪ Christian Science Monitor ▪ Scientific American Mind ▪ CNBC ▪ Women's Health ▪ Reason ▪CBS Early Show▪Radio Netherlands▪ Wprost (Poland)▪ Baltimore Sun ▪ Verdens Gang (Norway)▪WHYY (Philadelphia)▪ Die Zeit (Germany)▪ Denver Post ▪ Marie Claire ▪WHDH (Boston)▪ Sunday Times (London)▪ London Evening Standard ▪ Sunday Post (Scotland)▪Voice of America▪ National Examiner ▪Fox News▪Swedish National Radio▪ Cosmogirl ▪48 Hours (CBS)▪Soap Talk▪ Observer (London)▪The Other Half (NBC)▪Sirius Satellite Radio▪ Elle ▪ Sunday Herald Tribune (Australia)▪WABC (New York)▪ Chicago Sun Times ▪CNN▪ Le Nouvel Observateur (France)▪ Focus (Germany)▪ Der Spiegel (Germany)▪ Diario (Italy)▪Radio National (Australia)▪BBC Radio Scotland▪ Los Angeles Times ▪ Mail on Sunday (London)▪ The Daily Mail (London)▪ Slate.com ▪ New York Daily News ▪The O'Reilly Factor (Fox)▪ San Diego Union-Tribune ▪WROR (New York)▪ Salon ▪The Mitch Albom Show (ABC)▪ The Guardian (London)▪ Washington Post ▪Canadian Broadcasting Company▪ Washington Times ▪The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet (Fox)▪TVO Television (Toronto)▪ Orlando Sentinel ▪The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch▪ Globe and Mail (Toronto)▪BBC World Service▪BBC Radio Ulster▪ Text zur Kunst (Germany)▪Smart Marriages Annual Meeting (audience of 2,500)▪ Reader's Digest ▪Southern Growth Policies Board▪Centre for Confidence and Well-Being (Scotland)▪University of Strathclyde▪International Business School (Isle of Man)▪Keio University (Tokyo)▪California Western School of Law▪Yale University▪University of Kyoto (Japan)▪Osaka City University (Japan)▪Rowland Institute for Science▪Marine World (San Francisco)▪The Neurosciences Institute ▪ Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality ▪ The Kinsey Institute ▪ American Psychological Association ▪ Association for Behavior Analysis ▪ Lifetime Television Network ▪ CBS Sunday Morning ▪ National Geographic ▪ l'Actualité (Canada) ▪ Smart Money ▪ Rady School of Management ▪ Max Planck Institute for Human Development ▪ iChannel ▪ Daily Herald ▪

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

As the co-creator and former director of the annual Loebner Prize Competition in Artificial Intelligence (first held in 1991), Dr. Epstein brought together some of the most eminent thinkers in the world—W. V. Quine, I. Bernard Cohen, Ray Kurzweil, Daniel Dennett, Joseph Weizenbaum, Oliver Selfridge, Allen Newell, and others—to design and oversee a contest to find the world's first "thinking" computer, along the lines suggested by computer pioneer Alan Turing in 1950. With Gary Roberts and Grace Beber, Dr. Epstein has recently edited a comprehensive volume called Parsing the Turing Test: Philosophical and Methodical Issues in the Quest for the Thinking Computer, which reviews the status of Turing's provocative predictions.

"PARSING THE TURING TEST is a landmark exploration of both the philosophical and methodological issues surrounding the search for true artificial intelligence. Will computers and robots ever think and communicate the way humans do? When a computer crosses the threshold into self-consciousness, will it immediately jump into the Internet and create a World Mind? Will intelligent computers someday recognize the rather doubtful intelligence of human beings? Distinguished psychologists, computer scientists, philosophers, and programmers from around the world debate these weighty issues – and, in effect, the future of the human race – in this important volume."

In the June/July 2006 issue of Scientific American Mind, Dr. Epstein explored this issue in the context of describing his "date" in Japan with a beautiful robot. To download the article, "My Date with a Robot," click here.

For a related video clip, which has had more than 2.5 million views on YouTube, click here. To read Dr. Epstein's latest article on this topic, "From Russia, with Love: How I Got Fooled (and Somewhat Humiliated) by a Computer," click here.

Also of possible interest, Dr. Epstein's embarrassing interview on NPR's "Radiolab" about the Russia incident. Click here for that. 

Dr. Epstein is available to give talks on this topic.