My Hormones Beat For You

From www.diamondbackonline.com

Since it’s February, this is the best month to relate love with science.

 At one point in our lives, we will fall in love. But how did it evolve? That “something” that makes our heart go wild, that “something” that gives butterflies in our stomachs, that “something” that makes our cheeks blush – all because of that special someone. But do we consciously know how these even happen? Or will it remain that “unexplainable and magical feeling”?

According to Helen Fisher of Rutgers University in New Jersey, there are three stages of falling in love. And each stage involves various set of chemicals in found in our bodies.

The first stage is called Lust. According to the dictionary, lust is “a strong sexual desire.” Sex hormones, testosterone and estrogen, are what drive lust in motion. A recent study in the University of Chicago shows that even a casual chat with a female stranger increases the levels of testosterone by one-third. The result is, “the stronger the hormonal reaction, the more marked the changes in behavior” (Vaknin, n.d.).

The second stage is called Attraction or the Love-Struck phase. All you think of is that special someone, you easily daydream about him/her, and you can’t even take your eyes off of him/her (Well you’re lucky if you’re in the same class or even sitting beside him/her.). There are a group of neurotransmitters called “monoamines” that are responsible for these feelings:

• Dopamine brings about the feelings of pleasure, desire, and reward. It was found to also be involved when one uses cocaine or nicotine. Hence the aptness of the song title "Your Love Is My Drug" by Kesha.

• Norepinephrine or adrenalin is responsible for increasing heart rate, sweating, shaking, or stuttering when your crush suddenly talks to you.

• Serotonin contributes to our feelings of happiness with the appropriate amount of levels. This is also responsible for making us crazy and insanely in love. Well who doesn’t think of his/her crush, special someone, or loved one day and night?

From dawnmaslar.com 

The third stage is called Attachment. On a more serious note, this involves commitment and responsibility for one another. There are two chemicals involved in this stage: Oxytocin and Vasopressin

• Oxytocin is said to be present in both sexes during an orgasm. The hypothalamus also releases this neurotransmitter during childbirth for production of milk and for developing a protective and strong bond between the mother and the child. Oxytocin can probably deepen the relationship and attachment after having a sexual intercourse. This is probably the reason behind the belief that “the more sex a couple has, the deeper their bond becomes.”

• Vasopressin or anti-diuretic hormone has the primary function of water retention through reducing the amount of urine. It helps the body reabsorb the available water to keep the organs normally functioning. This hormone may work on the principle of “help[ing] you to fall in love and stay[ing] that way”(Ellis, 2014). An experiment showed the effects of a drug that suppressed the release of vasopressin in male prairie voles (a kind of rodent), and the result was that latter's relationship with their partner deteriorated. Vasopressin levels were then found to be higher in monogamous than  in polygamous relationships. In humans, some studies claimed a positive correlation between higher levels of vasopressin and happiness in blissfully-married couples or couples in committed relationships. Since affection and commitment may be associated to emotions, the influence of vasopressin on the latter may be of big importance to the persistence of a long-term relationship.

Knowing our emotions should not only involve our external environment, but also internal mechanisms that made those feelings possible. Emotions have biological bases that aid the individual’s survival. Just like love, our body works in mysterious ways, and these hormones revealed how we exist in congruence to other people and to our environment. Who knows, an objective and scientific view on love may even help us find our “the one”?
 

From www.mrscienceshow.com

By: Angeline Mora

Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/love/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232248.php
http://samvak.tripod.com/lovepathology.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-vasopressin.htm
http://www.youramazingbrain.org/lovesex/sciencelove.htm