Your brain in love: The chemistry of Valentine's Day
Our brain goes on an incredible biological journey when Cupid's arrow strikes. A flood of chemical changes occur, from dopamine surges to chemicals that shut down the perception of anger, fear and sadness.
Professors and therapists Richard Schwartz and Jacqueline Olds from Harvard Medical School investigated the connection between areas of the brain and love.
“We know that primitive areas of the brain are involved in romantic love,” said Olds, an HMS associate professor of psychiatry at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital. “These areas light up on brain scans when talking about a loved one. These areas can stay lit up for a long time for some couples.”
Can you fall in love at first sight?
According to an older Gallup poll, 52% of people in the United States believe in love at first sight. When asked whether they had experienced love at first sight, 40% of respondents answered yes.
Attraction: The crush stage
A racing heart, sweaty palms and flushed cheeks are common responses to love; they are caused by the chemicals associated with our brain's "reward circuit." Love acts as a reward for our minds, influenced by two key hormones:
◾ Cortisol. Our levels rise in the early stages of romantic love, while serotonin decreases. The shift leads to what Schwartz calls “intrusive and maddeningly worrisome thoughts” associated with those intense feelings.
◾ Dopamine. The initial spark of attraction triggers the brain to release dopamine, activating the reward system. This leads to pleasure, excitement and motivation to pursue the person. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the midbrain is the primary region responsible for producing dopamine.
This reward circuit is considered a primitive neural network that connects to the nucleus accumbens, a brain structure in the ventral striatum. It floods the brain with dopamine and intensifies the infatuation with a new love interest.
As the brain releases high levels of dopamine, the levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that primarily regulates mood and behavior, are depleted. This drop in serotonin can lead to mood swings and obsessive thoughts, leading to the "lovestruck" feeling.
How our bodies let down our guard when we're 'lovestruck'
Romantic love also deactivates the amygdala, the neural pathway that controls the perception of fear and social judgment.
At the same time, activity decreases in a brain region known as the frontal cortex, which is responsible for judgment and logical thinking. This reduction in activity can result in a lack of critical thinking and a tendency to overlook potential flaws in the person you find attractive.
Attachment: The bonding stage
During romantic love, several chemicals are at play, primarily oxytocin and vasopressin. Oxytocin is a neuropeptide produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland during times of intimacy like hugging and breastfeeding.
Oxytocin is often referred to as the "love hormone," promotes feelings of contentment, calmness and security − emotions that are strongly associated with romantic bonding. Vasopressin, on the other hand, is linked to behaviors that encourage long-term, monogamous relationships. The differing effects of these two hormones might help explain why the intensity of passionate love diminishes as emotional attachment deepens.
SOURCE Paste BN Network reporting and research; Harvard Medical School; National Institutes of Health