What does affection do for us?

My research focuses on how people communicate affection in their close relationships and how affectionate behavior influences our physical and mental health. I also examine the impacts of loneliness — what happens to us when we hunger for more intimacy and affection in our lives.

What do I study?

Affection

How do we show affection and why is it good for us?

Like many species, humans routinely express affection to those they love? What leads us to do so?

Loneliness

What are the consequences of lacking intimacy with others?

Close relationships are considered a fundamental human need. How do we cope when we feel disconnected from others?

Families

What makes family relationships successful?

Family bonds can be fraught with tension. How do they emphasize what works?

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Keep in Touch

The Surprising Science of Human Connection

What does science reveal about friendship, love, loneliness, and the relationships that shape our lives?
In Keep in Touch, I share surprising discoveries from relationship research, including my own, in short, accessible essays.

The Loneliness Cure

A culmination of more than two decades’ worth of research, the book focuses on the epidemic of loneliness and the problems people face when they don't have enough affection in their lives.

Book Quotes

The New York Journal of Books

In a world of endless tech gadgets that promise to ‘connect’ us in ever more efficient ways, people today are paradoxically feeling more isolated than ever. The Loneliness Cure is a resource for those looking to slow down, silence their smartphones, and start making — or reclaiming — meaningful connections in their lives.

— The New York Journal of Books

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Library Journal

Floyd's eye-opening and realistic approach for connecting with others will find wide appeal.

— Library Journal

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Mark Feuerstein

A great resource for anyone looking to slow down, put away their smart phones, and start making meaningful connections in their lives. The Loneliness Cure is the perfect guide to gaining the affection we're missing from the people we love.

— Mark Feuerstein, star of Royal Pains

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Publishers Weekly

Professor Floyd turns his academic research on affection into a self-help book for the lay reader. Kory … combines anecdotes, questions for the reader to reflect on, and explanations of the research he conducted. ... Thought-provoking.

— Publishers Weekly

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Other Books

See my scholarly books and textbooks

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Recent Publications

Featured

Affectionate Communication, Health, and Relationships

Floyd, K., Debrot, A., Horan, S.M., Hesse, C., & Woo, N.T. (2023). Personal Relationships, 30(1), 44–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12444

Hesse, C., Floyd, K., Rains, S. R., Mikkelson, A. C., Pauley, P. M., Woo, N. T., Custer, B. E., & Duncan, K. (2021). Communication Monographs, 88(2), 194–218. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2020.1805480