Esther Perel

Belgian-American psychotherapist whose Mating in Captivity explored the paradox between domestic security and erotic desire in long-term relationships — becoming the most widely cited relationship therapist of the past two decades.

Articulated the fundamental paradox of long-term relationships: that the security, familiarity, and equality that make a relationship emotionally safe tend to kill erotic desire, which requires novelty, mystery, and a degree of separateness.