2024-02-22 11:27:06
We all know how good it feels to be in love, and the results of a new study might tell us why.
Neuroscientists at CU Boulder have discovered that the brain produces more dopamine – the hormone that makes us feel desire and pleasure – when we want or spend time with our loved one.
It turns out that just the thought of being with our partner causes a flood of dopamine in the brain’s reward center, making us seek them out to maintain the connection. In contrast, the study suggests that only a small amount of dopamine is released when we think of an acquaintance or work colleague.
Research suggests that our partners create a “chemical imprint” in our brains and that when these romantic relationships end, the imprint begins to fade.
The authors of the studypublished in the journal Current Biologyused meadow voles for their experiments, because they are part of a small minority of animals (3 to 5% of mammals) that form monogamous bonds throughout their lives.
These tiny creatures, related to brown mice, behave similarly to humans: They engage in long-term relationships, share responsibilities for raising offspring, live together, and experience a sense of loss when They lose their spouse.
“What we discovered, essentially, is a biological signature of desire that helps us explain why we want to be with certain people more than others,” said Zoe Donaldson, lead author and associate professor of neuroscience. Behavioral Services at CU Boulder, in a press release.
The research team sought to better understand romantic relationships and their effects on the brain, as well as what happens when those relationships end. The study discovered, for the first time, that dopamine plays a crucial role in maintaining these relationships and the flame of love.
“This research suggests that some people leave a unique chemical imprint in our brains that causes us to maintain these connections over time,” said Zoe Donaldson.
The science of love and attachment
Scientists have studied human relationships and the nature of love and attachment for decades, and research has shown that there are specific regions of the brain and neural circuits which are associated with our feelings of love, attachment and desire.
Helen Fisher, with a doctorate in physical and biological anthropology, is an author and human relations expert. She claims that certain brain chemicals are associated with our feelings of love.
“The oxytocin and vasopressin systems are now linked to feelings of serenity and attachment,” she said during a interview on the science of attachment in relationships for Big Think.
Oxytocin is both a neurotransmitter and a hormone. It plays a vital role in childbirth, breastfeeding and bonding, whether it’s the bonds between mothers and their newborns or the bonds between romantic partners and even friends. Because oxytocin plays an essential role in creating intimate bonds, it is often called the “love hormone.”
Vasopressin, also known as “antidiuretic hormone,” is a hormone that performs a variety of bodily functions, including regulating kidney function and blood pressure. It also influences social behavior, in particular couple bonds.
Helen Fisher and her colleagues performed brain scans on people at different stages of their relationships, from dating to post-breakup.
She found that for people who were newly (and madly) in love, the dopamine system in the brain lit up, but for those who had been in love a little longer, there was new activity in related brain regions. to attachment.
“In fact, when you fall head over heels in love with someone, this brain system can be triggered instantly. But feelings of attachment develop as you get to know the person,” explains Helen Fisher.
Dopamine, the driving force behind reunions
The researchers wanted to know what was happening in the voles’ brains when they were separated from their partners and trying to find them once more.
Using neuroimaging technology, they were able to observe in real time the region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, which in humans is a region of the brain responsible for seeking out rewarding or pleasurable things. Previous neuroimaging studies in humans have shown that this region of the brain is activated when we let’s hold our partner’s hand.
In one experiment, a vole had to push a lever to open the door of a compartment and join its partner; in another, he had to cross a barrier to be reunited with him. As the voles struggled to navigate obstacles to reach their partner, the sensors detected a surge of dopamine, lighting up the scientist’s equipment like a Christmas tree.
On the other hand, the light decreased when an unknown or random vole was on the other side of the barrier.
“This suggests that not only is dopamine really important in motivating us to meet our partner, but that there is more dopamine flowing through our reward center when we are with our partner rather than a stranger,” noted in the press release the first author, Anne Pierce, a graduate student who worked on the study in Zoe Donaldson’s laboratory.
Hope for grieving hearts
Although the study authors stress that more research is needed to know whether the findings on voles can be translated to humans, they say their work might eventually be used to help people who have difficulty connect with others or for those who struggle with sadness – a state called prolonged grief disorderwhich is “characterized by intense, persistent grief that causes problems and interferes with daily life,” according to the American Psychiatric Association.
“The hope is that by understanding what healthy mechanisms look like in the brain, we can begin to identify new therapies to help the many people with mental illnesses that affect their social lives,” Zoe Donaldson said.
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