With Valentine’s Day around the corner, romance is in the air. Ever wonder why we’re attracted to one person, but not another? It turns out, human attraction is a deeply complicated issue, with both biological and sociological underpinnings.

To help us better understand attraction, Bostonia sought out three College of Arts & Sciences professors from different fields of study: Nazli Kibria, a professor of sociology, has for many years been teaching a course on the sociology of families, which touches on the complicated question of human partner selection; Eva Garrett, an assistant professor of anthropology, studies pheromones and the potential role smell plays in human attraction; and playwright Takeo Rivera, an assistant professor of English, writes plays that explore issues of sexuality and social capital.

While they may not help you figure out if that special person you have your eye on is really that into you, they offer some illumination into what draws us to certain people.