Attached
**Attached:
The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love** is a nonfiction psychology book by **Amir Levine**, MD, and **Rachel S. F. Heller**, published in **2010**. The book applies **attachment theory**, originally developed by **John Bowlby** in the 1950s, to adult romantic relationships, arguing that our need for close bonds is biologically embedded and essential for well-being.
Product Description
The authors identify three primary **attachment styles** that dictate how individuals behave in relationships:
* **Secure**: Individuals who are comfortable with intimacy, warm, and loving, making up roughly **50%** of the population.
* **Anxious**: People who are often preoccupied with their relationships, worry about their partner's ability to love them back, and seek frequent reassurance, comprising about **20%** of the population.
* **Avoidant**: Individuals who equate intimacy with a loss of independence, actively minimize closeness, and value self-reliance, accounting for approximately **25%** of the population.
The book provides a practical framework for identifying one's own attachment style and that of potential partners, offering strategies to navigate the **"anxious-avoidant trap"** and foster healthier dynamics. It emphasizes that attachment styles can evolve through self-awareness and communication, introducing the **"dependency paradox"** to show that healthy interdependence can actually increase individual independence and security.