Why do we fall in love? Why does love exist? Thanks to great advances in science, it is known that the feeling of love does not flourish in the heart but in the brain. The emotions of love have always been attributed to the heart and although it is true that the physiological sensation is felt in this organ, neuroscience has managed to make a 180 degree turn and affirm that in reality, hormones, pheromones and neurotransmitters are the protagonists. of what we know as love.
Anyone who has fallen in love knows the avalanche of intense and contradictory feelings that this feeling brings with it. When you connect with someone, you can’t stop thinking about that person, you always want to be by their side and ultimately, it seems like you’ve gone crazy. In reality, in this situation, you are experiencing an explosive cocktail of chemicals that is equivalent to falling madly in love with someone.
“What parts of the brain are activated in love?” This has been an interesting question for researchers and consequently, there are various studies that try to answer it. According to experts, it is not an easy task since unlike other emotions such as anger, disgust or pleasure, love is much more complex and abstract since it seems to involve many areas of the brain. In today’s article, we will focus on the brain processes involved in love. Stay to discover what happens on a neurobiological level when you feel like you’ve found that person who fits you perfectly.
When we fall in love with someone, our limbic system is activated. That is, it is that basic brain, which is guided purely by instincts. We cannot forget that we are animals and, therefore, when we like someone, the procreation instinct is activated and this is when the first phase of falling in love begins.
Later is when chemical reactions come into play and a series of neurotransmitters are released in the brain that are fundamental when trying to understand the reason why we fall in love.
Neurotransmitters associated with love
Let’s start with dopamine. This neurotransmitter is responsible for making us feel pleasure and euphoria when being with our love. It’s based on the brain’s reward system and this is the main reason why we create the constant need to be with the person we love. This is not surprising since dopamine is also responsible for the strong hook that gamblers and drug addicts suffer. Going one step further, both in love and with drugs, when dopamine disappears, monotony, sadness and obsession appear.
Levels of the stress hormone cortisol rise in the initial phases of romantic love The pulse accelerates, the palms sweat and the cheeks burn. As if this were not enough, norepinephrine is activated, giving us a great shot of adrenaline, and consequently, a roller coaster of emotions is turned on and makes it seem like we have lost our minds. Has it happened to you that you have not felt hungry or sleepy due to the disproportionate feeling of joy, effusiveness and even nervousness? This occurs thanks to norepinephrine. In short, we stop thinking clearly and without even realizing it, we reduce our world to a single person.
We continue with the biological fireworks, and this time it comes into play phenylethylamine This neurotransmitter makes everything more intense. Its job is to secrete enormous amounts of dopamine, creating “amphetamine”-like effects. Therefore, it is not surprising that people in love have a state of natural euphoria, feeling incredibly happy, optimistic and motivated.
You may be familiar with oxytocin, colloquially known as the love hormone This substance is released with physical contact, especially during sex, skin-to-skin contact and looking at each other. It makes us feel closer to our partner and, in turn, increases feelings of calm, satisfaction and security. It is also curious that our imagination and expectations, both realistic and not, fail to release oxytocin in the brain, causing the same results as in-person contact. Likewise, jealousy in a couple is also influenced by oxytocin. When we perceive “a threat”, the levels of this substance decrease significantly and cortisol increases, generating fear, panic and a lot of anxiety.
Finally, serotonin drops in love When this neurotransmitter falls, obsessive behaviors and thoughts are explained. It is known that the decrease in serotonin leads to various psychiatric pathologies such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It just so happens that a key characteristic of romantic love is constantly thinking about the person you love, ruminating about how to respond appropriately to their messages, constantly wanting to be with them, etc.
What parts of the brain are activated by love?
Based on 20 different studies examining the brain activity of love using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we can conclude that both love and sexual desire activate areas of the striatum and insula Study participants had to look at erotic images or photographs of the person they were in love with, and researchers measured their brain activity while they were engaged in such tasks.
The results show that the area activated by love is involved in the conditioning process through which everything that is associated with a reward or pleasure receives an inherent value. And on the other hand, the area that is activated by sexual desire is turned on by things that are inherently pleasurable, such as sex or food. Put another way, as feelings of sexual desire turn into love, they are processed in a different place in the striatum. Furthermore, it has been discovered that sexual desire has a specific objective, love is more abstract and more complex, as we mentioned previously.
The study also showed that love is in the same brain area of drug addiction Therefore, it is not surprising that the feeling of love generates addiction, withdrawal and relapses just as happens with addictive substances.
In conclusion…
After reading this article, every time you hear phrases like “I love you with all my heart”, you will know that in reality, love is guided by neural circuits and that the release of certain neurotransmitters and chemical substances gives way to sensations of euphoria, happiness, and general well-being that comes from being madly in love as a couple.
