Chemicals of love
<br>BUTTERFLIES in the stomach, a racing heart beat and clammy hands are some of the outward signs of being in love. But inside the body, there are definite chemical signs that love has fired an arrow.<br>
A GRAIN OF SCIENCE
BUTTERFLIES in the stomach, a racing heart beat and clammy hands are some of the outward signs of being in love. But inside the body, there are definite chemical signs that love has fired an arrow.
When it comes to love, we are at the mercy of our biochemistry. One of the best-known researchers in this area, Helen Fisher of Rutgers University in New Jersey, says we fall in love in three stages, each involving a different set of chemicals.
Stage 1: Lust
Lust is driven by the sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen. Testost-erone plays a major role in the sex drive of humans. These hormones Fisher says, “get you out looking for anything.â€
Stage 2: Attraction
This is the truly love-struck phase. When people fall in love they can think of nothing else. They can even lose appetite and need less sleep, preferring to spend hours daydreaming about their new lover. In the attraction stage, a group of neuro-transmitters called ‘monoamines’ play an important role. These are:
Dopamine –– Also activated by cocaine and nicotine
Norepinephrine –– Also known as adrenalin. Starts us sweating and gets the heart racing
Serotonin –– One of love’s most important chemicals and one that may actually send us temporarily insane
Stage 3: Attachment
This is what takes over after the attraction stage, if a relationship is going to last. Attachment is a longer lasting commitment and is the bond that keeps couples together when they go on to have children. Important in this stage are two hormones released by the nervous system:
Oxytocin –– This is released by the hypothalamus gland during childbirth and also helps the breast express milk. It helps cement the strong bond between mother and child. It is also released by both sexes during orgasm and it is thought to promote bonding when adults are intimate.
Vasopressin - It is an important controller of the kidney and its role in long-term relationships was discovered when scientists looked at the prairie rat. This animal provides a mirror into what takes place inside humans.
BUTTERFLIES in the stomach, a racing heart beat and clammy hands are some of the outward signs of being in love. But inside the body, there are definite chemical signs that love has fired an arrow.
When it comes to love, we are at the mercy of our biochemistry. One of the best-known researchers in this area, Helen Fisher of Rutgers University in New Jersey, says we fall in love in three stages, each involving a different set of chemicals.
Stage 1: Lust
Lust is driven by the sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen. Testost-erone plays a major role in the sex drive of humans. These hormones Fisher says, “get you out looking for anything.â€
Stage 2: Attraction
This is the truly love-struck phase. When people fall in love they can think of nothing else. They can even lose appetite and need less sleep, preferring to spend hours daydreaming about their new lover. In the attraction stage, a group of neuro-transmitters called ‘monoamines’ play an important role. These are:
Stage 3: Attachment
This is what takes over after the attraction stage, if a relationship is going to last. Attachment is a longer lasting commitment and is the bond that keeps couples together when they go on to have children. Important in this stage are two hormones released by the nervous system: