Why You'll Never Buy the Perfect Ring (and Other Valentine's Day Stories)

It's almost Valentine's Day, but this week we're not talking about love. Instead, we decided to talk about the other forces behind our romantic relationships. First, we learn where to get the best deal on engagement rings, but also why you'll never buy one (they're cursed).

Then, Shankar talks with Morning Editions' David Greene about why matchmakers are so darn happy (they are). Dan Pink joins Shankar for another round of Stopwatch Science with all kinds of interesting research about dating and mating.

And finally, Meshelle (the Indie-Mom of Comedy) puts on her fictitious lab coat and tries to predict what makes French women swoon. Sound like a lot? We do it in under 24 minutes—so pull up a box of your favorite chocolates, throw out the gross cherry-filled ones, and get comfortable.

The Hidden Brain Podcast is hosted by Shankar Vedantam and produced by Kara McGuirk-Alison, Maggie Penman and Max Nesterak. To subscribe to our newsletter, click here. You can also follow us on Twitter @hiddenbrain, @karamcguirk, @maggiepenman and @maxnesterak, and listen for Hidden Brain stories every week on your local public radio station.

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