If you ever happen to find yourself crossing the Capilano River in North Vancouver, Canada, you'll have two bridges to choose from:
The first is definitely not for the faint of heart: A mere five feet wide and 450 feet long, the Capilano Canyon Suspension Bridge is constructed solely of plank and cable and sways perilously in the wind some 250 feet above the turbulent rocky tides--right out of a scene from Hitchcock's Vertigo. Your other choice? A solidly built anchored bridge that sits a mere ten feet above sea level.
In 1974, two well-known psychologists, Arthur Aron and Donald Dutton, used these bridges as the focus of an ingenious experiment--one that sought to explore the mysterious nature of sexual attraction. It's informally dubbed the Shaky Bridge Studywhich is why I also like to call it the Shake Up Your Sex Life study.
