rogerbkk Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 The Science of Love Contents Key points The three stages of love Key Points There are three phases to falling in love and different hormones are involved at each stage Events occurring in the brain when we are in love have similarities with mental illness When we are attracted to somebody, it could be because subconsciously we like their genes Smell could be as important as looks when it comes to the fanciability factor. We like the look and smell of people who are most like our parents Science can help determine whether a relationship will last Cupid's chemicals Flushed cheeks, a racing heart beat and clammy hands are some of the outward signs of being in love. But inside the body there are definite chemical signs that cupid has fired his arrow. When it comes to love it seems we are at the mercy of our biochemistry. One of the best known researchers in this area is Helen Fisher of Rutgers University in New Jersey. She has proposed that we fall in love in three stages. Each involving a different set of chemicals. The Three Stages of Love Stage 1: LUST Lust is driven by the sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen. Testosterone is not confined only to men. It has also been shown to play a major role in the sex drive of women. These hormones as Helen Fisher says "get you out looking for anything". Stage 2: ATTRACTION This is the truly love-struck phase. When people fall in love they can think of nothing else. They might even lose their appetite and need less sleep, preferring to spend hours at a time daydreaming about their new lover. In the attraction stage, a group of neuro-transmitters called 'monoamines' play an important role: # Dopamine - Also activated by cocaine and nicotine # Norepinephrine - Otherwise known as adrenalin. Starts us sweating and gets the heart racing # Serotonin - One of love's most important chemicals and one that may actually send us temporarily insane Stage 3: ATTACHMENT This is what takes over after the attraction stage, if a relationship is going to last. People couldn't possibly stay in the attraction stage forever, otherwise they'd never get any work done! Attachment is a longer lasting commitment and is the bond that keeps couples together when they go on to have children. Important in this stage are two hormones released by the nervous system, which are thought to play a role in social attachments: # Oxytocin - This is released by the hypothalamus gland during child birth and also helps the breast express milk. It helps cement the strong bond between mother and child. It is also released by both sexes during orgasm and it is thought that it promotes bonding when adults are intimate. The theory goes that the more sex a couple has, the deeper their bond becomes # Vasopressin - Another important chemical in the long-term commitment stage. It is an important controller of the kidney and its role in long-term relationships was discovered when scientists looked at the prairie vole The frisky prairie vole In prairie vole society, sex is the prelude to a long-term pair bonding of a male and female. Prairie voles indulge in far more sex than is strictly necessary for the purposes of reproduction. It was thought that the two hormones, vasopressin and oxytocin, released after mating, could forge this bond. In an experiment, male prairie voles were given a drug that suppresses the effect of vasopressin. The bond with their partner deteriorated immediately as they lost their devotion and failed to protect their partner from new suitors. Looking in their genes When it comes to choosing a partner, are we at the mercy of our subconscious? Researchers studying the science of attraction draw on evolutionary theory to explain the way humans pick partners. It is to our advantage to mate with somebody with the best possible genes. These will then be passed on to our children, ensuring that we have healthy kids, who will pass our own genes on for generations to come. When we look at a potential mate, we are assessing whether we would like our children to have their genes. There are two ways of doing this that are currently being studied: pheromones and appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerbkk Posted February 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Personaly I feeel love is chemical, there s many things that we can not explain when we are in love: get mad, feel pain, loose of apetite, mental disorder, no understanding why we are in love, many subconscius feelings and reactions. No need to sleep too much etc. etc. Sometime the compatibility is not so 2 people who doesn t match can have a deep love. Yes love is absolutely chemical, compatibility is reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_DisappeaR_ Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Just tell me you are in love .. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerbkk Posted February 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 I was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Dun know much but i only know Love is in the air, Breathe wisely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pr0nmaster Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 yes...while its interesting....and yes...you are totally right....but it doesnt really say much about the subjective experience of phenomena... social sciences little niche .... thats likes saying "I've discovered how the petrol combustion engine works" now I can account for the phenomenon of enjoying driving my brand new car at 240 kmph ... and just because the petrol combustion engine makes my car run...doesnt mean my car doesnt determine how fast , when and in which direction the engine runs.... simply put...whether this is a chemical manifestation of the "mind"....or whether this is "the mind" ....science will eventually have the answers i'm sure....but right now I'm afraid when it comes to the human mind we are dealing more with philosophy that science... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchAngel Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 But LOVE is always beautiful,,,eventhough I have felt pain in love,,,JING JING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khun_lung Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 One of my friends is a pharmacist and I used to be a bartender. Between the two of us, and based on this information, we're gonna make a love potion that will shake the world and make us disgustingly rich! Maybe Harry Pattaya figured it out already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie36 Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 yes...while its interesting....and yes...you are totally right....but it doesnt really say much about the subjective experience of phenomena...social sciences little niche .... thats likes saying "I've discovered how the petrol combustion engine works" now I can account for the phenomenon of enjoying driving my brand new car at 240 kmph ... and just because the petrol combustion engine makes my car run...doesnt mean my car doesnt determine how fast , when and in which direction the engine runs.... simply put...whether this is a chemical manifestation of the "mind"....or whether this is "the mind" ....science will eventually have the answers i'm sure....but right now I'm afraid when it comes to the human mind we are dealing more with philosophy that science... Well if you want a scientfic explanation it is this. The most important decision a female has to make in nature (pre-birth control etc) is when to have sex with someone. This almost by definition is the 'biggest decision' of her life. Now in the time before sophisticated language and the printed word, guys and girls used to hang around making signs and grunting etc to persuade the woman to have sex. Logically the women would be pretty reluctant because she new the cost of sex would be 'high' - higher than for the man. As a result, the man did most of the talking, saying how alike they were and eventually the women convinced herself that this was the guy that going to look after her (love her for the rest of her life). They had sex and produced a baby now the the benefit of the man staying around was high so she started doing most of the talking (remember talking was difficult because of the position of our larynx). All this talking, grunting, sign language had made the two addicted to each other by repetition - indoctrination if you like. The physical incarnation of 'love' was sex. The phsychological incarnation of their addiction is 'love'- and the man for a period at least - sacrificing sex with other females. Hence how the monogamy 'concept' works. Note that there is a reverse pyshological switch after the sex. Pre-sex the couple focused on their likenesses and the man talked most. At sex the women is convinced he is the 'one' love. After sex doubts starts to creep in, she spots his flaws broken promisses etc. They start talking about their 'differences'. Either they sort them out and learn to live with them or they tend to magnify in the psychy, diminishing the love and leading to break up. This explanation also explains the 'gay gene', multi-tasking/single tasking. Why men are better at maths and women at words. Why men try to rationalise more than women which creates certain mental problems, higher stress etc.. And why us men die younger - so much for male hegemony! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 I say love is a combo :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 I came across this in the journal of uhu_uhu and I think it applies to this topic. Have a look at the video clip and then you decide. http://www.jabchai.com/main/view_joke.php?id=1124 Thanks to uhu_uhu (Annie) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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