Comedian Aziz Ansari will be releasing his first book about the trials and tribulations of Modern Romance on June 16th.
Best known for his stand-up comedy and role as Tom Haverford on NBC series Parks and Recreation, Ansari partnered with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg on a year-long project to explore how people fall in love in the modern world.
This project took Ansari and Klinenberg all over the world — from Tokyo and Paris, to Buenos Aires and Wichita.
The pair interviewed people from different age groups, gathered pre-existing behavioral data and surveys, and even used Reddit to create an online research forum.
Additionally, Ansari and Klinenberg enlisted several leading social scientists – including Eli Finkel, Helen Fisher, Sheena Iyengar, Barry Schwartz, Sherri Turkle, and Robb Willer – to help understand all facets of modern love and romance.
When asked what inspired him to write such an academically-focused book, Ansari said that he wanted to add a few facts to his dating stand-up routine, and was inspired to explore the topic more in-depth:
“Single people today have more romantic options than at any point in human history. With technology, our abilities to connect with and sort through these options are staggering.
“But the transformation of our romantic lives cannot be explained by technology alone; there’s much more to the story. In a short period of time, the whole culture of finding love and a mate has changed dramatically.
“You just realise everyone is dealing with the same nonsense. Everyone is on this boat together, and it would probably be good if we were a little nicer on that boat.”
Modern Romance is available to pre-order online, and will be released on June 16th.