Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex

John Gray, PhD, is a well-known figure in the sphere of relationship guidance, most notably for his bestselling work, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. Hailing from Houston, Texas, where he was born in 1951, Gray’s background and career trajectory is unusual and varied:

[Gray] is one of seven children of a well-to-do oil executive who died in 1985 after hitchhikers robbed him and locked him in the trunk of his car; his mother ran a spiritual bookshop and knew Heaven's Gate cultist Marshall Applewhite. Both parents went to Stanford, and John was expected to do so as well. But in 1969, when he was a high school senior, he went to a Transcendental Meditation seminar, threw himself into this new way to find a natural high, and quickly caught the eye of TM's founder and leader, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who in the late 1960s was guru to the Beatles and other celebrities. ‘I think he saw a little bit of himself in me,’ Gray says, ‘and I wanted to be like him when I grew up’” (Gleick, Elizabeth and Valley, Mill. “Tower of Psychobabble.” Time.com).

Gray ultimately became Yogi’s personal assistant. Critics have argued that Gray’s degrees are not substantive. He earned a BA and MA at Yogi’s school, Maharishi International University, in the Science of Creative Intelligence. He received his PhD from California’s Columbia Pacific University in a counseling and psychology correspondence course. Governors State University awarded him an honorary degree.

Gray’s period of spiritual exploration set the foundations for his texts on relationships. His psychology background, coupled with philosophical reflections, informs his exploration of human connections. Gray also draws on his experience counseling couples, from which he gleamed real-life examples.

Gray uses analogies in his texts, such as comparing men to Martians and women to Venusians, and links psychoanalytical concepts with real-life anecdotes. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus ventured into what was then an untapped domain—the differences in emotional needs and communication between men and women.

The ‘90s was marked by transformative gender roles. Amid evolving debates on gender identities, equality, and partnership dynamics, Gray’s book offered a focal point for discussion and, at times, controversy. His writings prompted wide-ranging societal dialogues. In addition to Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, Gray has authored a variety of works dissecting various aspects of partnership, self-improvement, and wellness. His influence in the landscape of relationship advice is considerable.