Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love

Inspired by their research, Levine and Heller detail the power of attachment theory to free individuals with anxious and avoidant attachment styles from the barriers hindering them from experiencing deep human connection and satisfaction. An exploration of the anxious, avoidant, and secure attachment styles, Attached combines curated research and real-life examples to educate readers on attachment theory. Throughout the text, Levine and Heller argue that an understanding of one’s attachment style clarifies the motivations behind one’s actions, optimizes the process of choosing a compatible partner, and improves the quality of existing relationships.

Through their work on attachment theory, Levine and Heller discovered understanding attachments provided romantic partners with “an easy and reliable way to understand and predict people’s behavior in any romantic situation” (9). Armed with this new knowledge, anxious, avoidant, and secure partners could learn to predict the behavior of potential partners, existing partners, or even themselves rather than navigating the turbulent channels of romantic relationships without a guide. According to Levine and Heller, the enlightenment elicited through this process of understanding empowers individuals. In their Introduction, the authors wonder “if we could help people have some measure of control” over their lives (11). They conclude that such control would allow individuals to “work toward becoming more secure in their attachment styles instead of letting life sway them every which way” (11).