Esther Perel

Esther Perel (French: [pəʁɛl]; born August 13, 1958) is a Belgian psychotherapist, known for her work on human relationships. Perel promoted the concept of "erotic intelligence" in her book Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence (2006), which has been translated into 24 languages. After publishing the book, she became an international advisor on sex and relationships. She has given two TED talks, hosts two podcasts, appears in the 2017 documentary, Monogamish, teaches a relational intelligence class with MasterClass, runs a series of therapy training, supervision events, and launched a card game. Perel toured internationally with a live show called An Evening with Esther Perel: The Future of Relationships, Love and Desire. In July of 2026, Apple TV announced that Perel would serve as the relationship expert and principal matchmaker on a new eight-episode dating documentary series, “The Last Person on Earth.”