It's not surprising to see the upswing in dating businesses since Sept. 11 or even that women are choosing to stay with abusive husbands, says a UC Davis psychologist who studies love relationships.

Psychologist Phillip Shaver says when animals, including humans, are threatened, they seek closer proximity to others.

"It was evident on Sept. 11th itself, when people on bridges in New York City got out of their cars and huddled together while they watched the WTC burn. It has been evident in people's tendency to stay home or with friends. The New York Times has written about single New Yorkers' sudden wish to be more connected with someone, and marriage is a major form of connection," Shaver says.

Just as interesting, battered women's shelters have been less crowded since Sept. 11, Shaver points out, suggesting that women in abusive relationships don't want to break up their family during a time of increased external threat.

Borrowing from a theory about infants' attachment behavior with their mothers, Shaver has been working with an Israeli psychologist to locate the part of the mind where feelings of security and love as well as those of death or separation can affect other attitudes toward people.

"My own most recent research shows that when we present people with subliminal stress words (failure, death, separation), their minds automatically turn unconsciously to mental representations of their 'attachment figures' -- such as parents or their spouse," Shaver says.