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Neurological
basis theorized for romance, mushy love
poems
By
Elizabeth Eide
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
Valentine's
Day has been always been left to Hallmark,
cupid and hopeless romantics, but scientists
have now put their hands in this pie too,
suggesting romance is wired in our brains.
Courtship,
mating and sex have been studied in humans
and animals for years. But after studying
the "love-struck" it is becoming
more clear that the brain activity of romance
is different from
sexual attraction and arousal. Love at first
sight is possible and lovesickness is a
reality.
Like
every other part of the body, the emotional
heart too is controlled by the brain.
Anthropologist
Helen Fisher of Rutgers University in New
Jersey decided to investigate the biological
forces behind love. Fisher says neurotransmitters,
chemicals of the brain, play a large role
in who we choose.
The
unromantic evidence is clear: the reasons
we fall in love are hidden in the chemistry
of the human brain. Fisher studied the neurotransmitters
dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin and
their roles in romantic passion.
The
neurotransmitters play a role in physical
side effects caused by romance, including
giddiness, euphoria, sleeplessness, appetite
loss and obsessive thinking. As the novelty
fades, the romantic side effects fade, and
eventually the romance as well, according
to Fisher.
When
people become "lovesick" or heart-broken
they sometimes turn to antidepressants.
Using a pill to increase seratonin levels
in the brain can decrease one's potential
to fall in love.
Fisher
says lowered sex drive and sexual performance
are also unfortunate side effects. Lowering
the levels of neurotransmitters dopamine
and norepinephrine in the brain is not a
good idea for one's romantic health. Fisher
says exercising is a healthy way to raise
the dopamine levels in the brain.
Over
a period of six years Fisher studied the
brains of 40 men and women who swore they
were madly in love. She collected 150 pictures
of the brain, called magnetic resonance
imaging.
Fisher
identified three stages of love that do
not follow a sequential order. There is
lust, "the craving for sexual gratification,"
romantic love, "the elation and obsession
of being in love," and attachment,
"the feeling of calm, peace and security."
While
agreeing "it's a feeling of belonging
to each other," Cal State Long Beach
senior Janina Quintina does "not want
to think it's all in your head."
Quintina
has been with her boyfriend for 6 years
and she seems to be in the attachment stage,
as described by Fisher.
Earl
Naumann, author of "Love at First Sight,"
holds on somewhat to the romantic fantasy
of true love as seen in the movies. Naumann
says the amygdala, a region in the brain
responsible for bypassing rational thought,
is also responsible for bypassing "love
at first sight." Naumann and 64 percent
of his 1,500 research subjects believe in
the phenomenon of love at first sight.
Long
Beach student Louis Afrouznia instead believes
the heart has a mind of its own.
When you're in love, "your heart takes
over," said Afrouzina. He disagrees
with the unromantic science and says "your
mind has no control over your heart."
This single third year thinks "everybody
is destined to find their soul mate in life."
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