Chemical Love
The chemical processes involved in falling in love and staying in love are really quite fascinating. There are so many different chemicals, hormones and changes in our body and brain chemistry that falling for that special someone is as much science as it is mystery.
The honeymoon stage is characterized by a feeling of well-being and physical desire for each other. This feeling is intense, with all the newness and excitement stimulated by the production of chemicals in our bodies that increase energy and positive attitudes as well as heighten sexuality and sensuality. It is common for couples in this stage to commit to each other permanently.
In a recent article on CNN, the chemical aspect of relationships was discussed:
Fisher’s research team did brain imaging of people who said they were “madly in love” and found activity in the area of the brain that produces the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine and norepinephrine are closely related.
“What dopamine does is it gives you that focused attention, the craving, the euphoria, the energy and the motivation, in this case the motivation to win life’s greatest prize,” she said.
The heady feeling of new love and the lasting effects on the chemistry of the body were then summed up in a scientifically sterilized and yet amusingly accurate statement:
Generally, there are three brain systems involved in romantic love: sex drive, love and attachment, Fisher said. The sex drive evolved to get you to look for a lot of partners, the “love” portion is for focusing mating energy on one specific person at a time, and attachment is for allowing you to tolerate the partner — at least, long enough to have children with him or her
While the idea of love is never as simple as a few synapses firing, there isn’t a doubt that there are physical aspects to the ways in which our bodies and brains recognize attraction and foster long term attachments in relationships.
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