Love an the Brain
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If you look up love in the dictionary it is defined as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Love is one of the most strongest emotions a person can experience in there life, and we all do. But why? What can cause an emotion as powerful as love? Love is an altered state of consciousness, produced by a chain of chemical reactions in the brain.
When you fall in love with someone, the chemical reaction has begun, releasing phenylethylamines (PEA) which creates feelings of attraction, infatuation, romance, and lust. It’s also a natural appetite suppressant and is involved in orgasm and ovulation. More generally, it gives you feelings of arousal, excitement, giddiness, and euphoria. PEA can be found in chocolate, diet soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, diet pills, amphetamines, and marijuana.
In addition PEA also releases dopamine, a primary neurotransmitter for the production of pleasure. Dopamine is associated with states of euphoria, craving and addiction. Dopamine gives you a high feeling, all addictive drugs simulate the production of dopamine. When we get a dose of dopamine we get the message to do whatever it is we did over and over again. High levels of dopamine are also associated with norepinephrine, which heightens attention, short-term memory, hyperactivity, sleeplessness and goal-oriented behavior. In other words, couples in this stage of love focus intently on the relationship and often on little else. There was a study of people who had recently fallen in love; on average they spent about 80 percent of their waking hours thinking of the ones they loved.
Dopamine stimulates the production of oxytocin. Studies show that oxytocin is associated not only with feelings of attachment and bonding, but also the ability to maintain healthy relationships. Oxytocin increases skin sensitivity, promotes the desire to touch and be touch, and increases in response to touch. Unlike PEA—the chemical of lust—oxytocin is the chemical associated with “true love.” It is the “glue” that holds children, parents, and families together. It is released when a woman is giving birth and when she is breast feeding. People with low levels of oxytocin exhibit promiscuous behavior, and those with high levels of oxytocin are monogamist.
The effects of PEA last only for about the first three to five years into a relationship. This time frame fits nicely into the human development theory that early man stayed with his mate long enough to procreate and then protect the child during early years of life or until the child was useful to the local clan. At this point, partners may come out of the chemical haze and lose interest in their partner. Nationally divorces are note to usually take place in the forth year of marriage, and one out of two marriages fail. So are we just hard wired by evolution to keep the species going? It looks that way, but if enough attachment has been built up between the two, they may remain in love and stay together past the three to five year mark.
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