People in love could experience mood swings, sleeplessness, racing heart beat, loss of appetite and are generally lost in their own world. So much so, one can easily spot love’s countenance. Now, Neuroscience makes sense of this ‘heady’ state of love....

People in love may experience mood swings, sleeplessness, racing heart beat, loss of appetite and are generally lost in their own world.  So much so, one can easily spot love’s symptoms.  Now, Neuroscience makes sense of this ‘heady’ state of love.... 

When two people fall madly in love, the brain’s pleasure centres are activated causing the release of a few chemicals; dopamine, pheromones and serotonin. These chemicals are directly responsible for excitement, increased heart rate, lack of appetite and sleeplessness.

New love is more ‘physical’, according to neuroscientists who studied the brain scans of those in love.  As the relationship progresses, the regions in the brain associated with long term commitment, attachment and love, begin to witness activity, marking the beginning of lifetime bonds.

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Scientists also found evidence that love is a fundamental need, akin to hunger, thirst and sleep.  The regions in the brain activated during hunger and thirst were similar to the pattern of brain activity found among those in love.  Need we search more to know why love and life are inextricably linked?

The Hormone of Love – Oxytocin

Oxytocin, now dubbed as the ‘hormone of love’, or the ‘cuddle hormone’ is a chemical produced by the hypothalamus in the brain and released by the pituitary gland, in response to certain environmental triggers such as stimulation of the cervix during sex, skin to skin contact, during childbirth or even during nipple stimulation in lactating women. The testes of men and ovaries of women also produce this hormone.

Oxytocin is directly responsible for ‘pair bonding’ - the bonding between mothers and infants, or between males and females.

Oxytocin also plays a crucial role in the sexual response cycle. During sex, the mere act of touching or caressing, causes a spike in the oxytocin levels in the body. Rightly identified as a catalyst in sex: it ensures the body is both psychologically and physically aroused.  Oxytocin triggers penile erections.  Oxytocin is also released during orgasm in both men and women.

The release of oxytocin during sexual intercourse forges bonding between sexual partners.  Further, having sexual relations with the same partner repeatedly, causes the release of oxytocin in abundance, sometimes by the mere sight of the partner.  Oxytocin inspires attachment and influences our choice of partner over other prospects.  This, the  love hormone, lays the foundation of lifetime bonds.

Oxytocin Shapes Maternal behaviour

Oxytocin’s role is mission critical during childbirth.  During labour, a woman’s body is flushed with oxytocin.  This triggers contraction of the uterine walls and prepares the body for childbirth.  Post-delivery, Oxytocin plays a role in milk letdown in lactating mothers.

Perhaps the best demonstration of the action of Oxytocin is its role in defining maternal behaviour.  Research has linked the origin of maternal behaviour to this love hormone.

To verify the role of Oxytocin in the establishment of initial bond between the mother and the newborn, experiments were conducted on female rats to check the outcome of inhibiting the release of Oxytocin.  Those female rats, in which Oxytocin release was inhibited, began to desert their newborns.  Conversely, when virgin female rats were given Oxytocin shots, they began to portray maternal behaviour towards offspring of other rats; caring for them like their own.

Those who thought ‘Love’ is beyond the realm of science and reason might need to rethink.  It is clear that  the ‘out of the world experience’, Love, is not beyond the human brain.  Rather, falling in love is just a matter of chemistry.