Now that Valentine’s Day has come and gone it’s time to
reflect on what you learned about romance this year. Absolutely nothing, you
say. Well, here’s a news flash: love is all in the chemicals.
Some of us read about romance. Others find it a fascinating
study. A team of scientists led by Dr. Helen Fisher at Rutgers University has determined
love has three categories: lust, attraction, and attachment. Each is characterized
by its own set of hormones. Testosterone and estrogen drive lust; dopamine,
norepinephrine, and serotonin create attraction; and oxytocin and vasopressin
are linked to attachment.
Lust
There are big differences between the three categories and
how they relate to a person’s emotional state of mind. The nasty slobbering sex
hormones of testosterone and estrogen drive lust. They are revved and raring
for sexual contact and reproduction. While lust is exclusive to romantic
entanglements, it doesn’t care about the future, picking out curtains together,
or wedding bells. Lust wants her jollies now. Lust is explosive and short term,
but with the right mental attitude and hormonal boost can morph into long-term
attachment, and this isn’t only found in humans. Let’s give it up for our
friends, the prairie vole. Prairie voles indulge in far more sex than is
strictly necessary for the purposes of reproduction. (Life is good for prairie
voles.) Biologists have determined in their society sex is the prelude to long-term
male/female pair bonding. In an experiment, male prairie voles were given a
drug to suppress hormonal effect. The bond with their partner deteriorated
immediately. They lost their devotion and failed to fend off their partner’s
new suitors. Couples counselling had no effect.
Attraction
While attraction and lust often co-mingle, it is possible to
have one without the other. Attraction kicks off in the brain pathways that
control reward behavior and releases dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. They stimulate pleasure centers during enjoyable moments such as time with loved ones
or sexual encounters. Hormones reinforce the desire to keep the fires
burning. The first few weeks or months of a relationship are exhilarating or
even all-consuming. Feelings of giddiness, excess energy, and euphoria, lead to
a decrease in appetite and even insomnia. Thanks to brain chemistry, the
feeling of being in love can be so overpowering a person can’t eat or sleep.
Kind of like a bad stomach virus.
Attachment
Attachment commitment focuses on relationship building, both long and short-term. Long-term are powerful such as in parent-infant bonding, sibling
relationships, and close friendships. Short-term govern behavior in social
situations like the workplace. Oxytocin,
nicknamed the cuddle hormone, plays a big role in attachment. It’s released during bonding events such as sex,
breastfeeding, and childbirth, and also reinforces positive feelings we already have toward people we love. As attachments to families, friends, and loved
ones grows, the flow of oxytocin continues increasing our affection. While this
is a good thing for monogamy, such associations may have a downside. Oxytocin
is thought to play a role in ethnocentrism, increasing our love for people in cultural
groups and making those unlike us seem threatening. Oxytocin—the closet bigot.
Why does the brain need a separation between the three brain
states with different chemicals for each? Scientists determined that while they
all contribute to well-balanced mental health, so does maintaining a boundary.
Without it, there can be a nasty emotional spillover. Who wants to feel attraction (yuck) or lust
(double yuck) instead of attachment to family members?
What does all this blather mean to your love life?
So how do we handle our hormones so that a relationship lasts?
First, don’t mistake lust for love. Lust is shorter, so give a new relationship
time to develop. Keep the dopamine
flowing. Relationships have a better chance of becoming long-term when couples pursue
intimate moments that aren’t just sexual. Shared activities such as movie
nights, dancing, trying new activities or restaurants all increase feelings of
intimacy. A hug or kiss, simply talking about shared hopes and future dreams or
offering support to your partner can stimulate a powerful hormonal rush. Want
to hear what the scientists have to say? Check out TED talks on the weird
science of love.
L. A. Kelley writes science fiction and fantasy adventure stories with humor, romance, and a touch of sass. She bakes oxytocin into her brownies and never has any leftovers. For book links check out her Amazon Author Page.
6 comments:
Love your post! Or is it just an "attraction" Hmmmm. Very fun and informative too (pant, pant...darn hormones)
F. Quarto
Great post! Thank you!
Very interesting post. The science of love is so , , , scientific. Give me the magic. It's great to know there are reasons, chemically, for why we're attracted to another. I like to think it was a magical "something" that made me connect with my one-and-only.
Great post, L.A.!
Oh, those prairie voles! But what else is there to do on the prairie? Loved this post--lots of interesting info and the significant otter made me laugh.
Wonderful post. Thanks for sharing.
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