The Chemistry of Love
Albert Einstein once said that "explaining what we feel for a special person and why we fall in love under the strict terms of the chemistry of love is to subtract the magic from the subject”.
Love, from a romantic or philosophical point of view, is something that poets and writers talk about daily.
All of us love to immerse ourselves in these literary universes, but when it comes to passion (from a biological point of view), neurologists are the most suitable professional who can provide us the most accurate data: less suggestive, but objective and real.
Now, we’re going to talk about falling in love… we’re going to talk about the chemistry of love, about this strange, intense and disconcerting process that sometimes makes us put our eyes, mind and heart in the least suitable person. Or, on the contrary, in the most certain, the definitive…
“Love” is a complex neurobiological phenomenon, based on brain activities, which mainly include certain molecules, called hormones. This name has a Greek origin, meaning "incite", exactly because the hormones have the function of carrying chemical messages, coordinating the activities of different cells in multicellular organisms.
And love brings an explosion of sensations, such as euphoria, desires, confidence, contentment, pleasure, anguish, sadness and so many other sensations that sometimes make us even act like fools. When we are in love, there are numerous chemical explosions inside our bodies. The kiss, the smell, the jealousy, the affection, the first sexual intercourse, etc. For all these moments, science has an amazing explanation and revelations.
How does science explain love?
The chemistry of love occurs in three main phases:
1st phase: In this phase, sensations and sexual desire are initiated in the human body. They are aroused by the circulation of sex hormones , initiated in adolescence: testosterone, in men, and estrogen, in women. Even before we find the loved one, when we are still looking for a partner, we feel a need to form pairs, because this ensures the generation of descendants and offers a safe environment that allows the child to be able to mature and become able to survive alone.
2nd phase: When we fall in love, the chemical compounds that work in our brain make us think only in the person we love. Here there are some reactions that occur in our body: The smell of the loved one is a stimulating balm, almost a drug that interferes with the brain and the body.
This is because the molecules that emanate from the person go through the nose and when they come in contact with olfactory hormones, the information is transmitted to the brain.
At that moment, sensations and memories merge, the hippocampus registers the image of the beloved and a certain smell will always be linked to his image. In addition, the smell molecules also reveal several things about us, for example, how is our health, habits, food and our origin. In this way, the brain can detect genetic compatibility, that is, the nose is able to choose the best partner for reproduction, which is the one with immunological genes different from ours, so that the next generation is more resistant to diseases.
Another biochemical aspect related to the smell is that the person in this state excretes chemical substances through the smell that allow communication and attraction with another being of the same species. These substances are called pheromones.
The pheromones sex are common in animals, mainly insects, being used to attract the partner to copulation and thus preserve the species through half- breeding. Controversial studies show that humans also emit a type of sexual pheromone.
When we see the loved one, our pupils dilate, the face turns red, the heartbeat accelerates, we shiver, the hands sweat, and the lips become rosier.
This is because blood flows through the tiny vessels under the skin, our body temperature rises and more norepinephrine is produced, which is the hormone that speeds up the heartbeat.
In the brain, there is an explosion of reactions caused by neurotransmitters:
One is dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter. When looking at the person, even if it is just a photo, we have a pleasant sensation, similar to eating a sweet. It is a chemical substance related essentially to pleasure and euphoria. There are people who suddenly become the object of all our motivations almost instinctively. Being with them creates undeniable pleasure, sensational well-being and an attraction that is sometimes blind.
The other one is serotonin, a hormone that makes us obsessed. These substances produced in our bodies are very similar to amphetamine-type drugs.
Since we release more hormones and neurotransmitters, our behaviour is altered, there is a disorganization in our brain, which makes us confused, so we get that air of “goofy”, stupid, we say nonsense, we misinterpret what person tells us and we give unreasonable answers. But, unfortunately, these intense feelings don't last forever. That's where the last phase of love comes in:
3rd phase: This is the connection phase, which is made by two hormones that are released during sexual intercourse: oxytocin (affection hormone) and vasopressin.
Oxytocin causes contractions in the uterine muscle and milk production; apparently it is involved in the relationship between the mother and the baby.
It may seem to the couple that love has coolded because the body is more resistant and accustomed to the production of the hormones mentioned above – a healthy attachment, where the couple builds a significant complicity from which both members benefit. But don't worry, that doesn't mean that love ends here... Actually, a different and more lasting kind of love is established, not fleeting like passion.
Really, when two people are in love, there is even chemistry between them.
"Dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin ... We are a natural drug factory when we fall in love."
-Helen Fisher-
Dopamine: I feel good about you, “I need” to be by your side and I don't know why
Norepinephrine: at your side, everything is more intense
Serotonin and oxytocin: the union that strengthens our passion
The neurochemicals we have talked about so far are the three fractions of the unquestionable power that governs the first moments of passion, where desire, nervousness, passion or obsession with the loved one guides each one of our behaviours.
This does not mean that in this first phase, oxytocin and serotonin were not present, as they were. However, it is a little later that oxytocin and serotonin acquire greater relevance, when both neurotransmitters will intensify our bonds much more, encouraging us to enter in a more enriching phase.
The oxytocin is the hormone that shapes love in "capital letters." We no longer speak of mere "passion" or attraction (where the substances mentioned above intervene most); we refer to the need to take care of the loved one, to give him/her affection, to caress him/her, to be part of the loved one in a long-term commitment.
On the other hand, it is worth noting once again that oxytocin is associated, above all, to the generation of affective bonds, and not only to those related to motherhood or sexuality. It is known, for example, that the greater our physical contact, the more we caress, hug or kiss, the more oxytocin our brain will release.
Defining this universal emotion in terms of chemistry may be a little suggestive, as Einstein said, but it is what we all are: a fabulous cell structure, electrical reactions and nervous impulses capable of offering us the most exquisite happiness.
References
Giuliano, F .; Allard J. (2001). Dopamine and sexual function. Int J Impot Press.
Sabelli H, Javaid J. Phenylethylamine modulation of effect: therapeutic and diagnostic implications. Journal of Neuropsychiatry 1995; 7: 6-14.
Fisher, H. (2004). Why we love: the nature and chemistry of romantic love. New York: Henry Holt.
Garrido, José María (2013). The chemistry of love. Madrid. Chiado Editorial
Fisher, Helen (2009). Why we love. Madrid: Taurus
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