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love an the brain. If you ... love? Love is an altered state of consciousness,
produced by a chain of chemical reactions in the brain. When ...
... the blood flow through the brains of students who are self-confessedly deeply in
love and what they discovered was that being in love affects the brain in much ...
... Recent studies in neuroscience have indicated that as people fall in love, the brain
consistently releases a certain set of chemicals, including dopamine ...
... Recent studies in neuroscience have indicated that as people fall in love, the brain
consistently releases a certain set of chemicals, including dopamine ...
... past decade has seen an explosion of scientific discoveries about the brain, the
leading ... more than a few modern assumptions about the inner workings of love. ...
Submitted by funbags on July 13, 2008
Category: Psychology
Words: 865 | Pages: 4
Views: 32
Popularity Rank: 117,146
Average Member Grade: N/A (Add a Comment / Grade this Paper)
If you look up love in the dictionary it is defined as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Love is one of the most strongest emotions a person can experience in there life, and we all do. But why? What can cause an emotion as powerful as love? Love is an altered state of consciousness, produced by a chain of chemical reactions in the brain.
When you fall in love with someone, the chemical reaction has begun, releasing phenylethylamines (PEA) which creates feelings of attraction, infatuation, romance, and lust. It’s also a natural appetite suppressant and is involved in orgasm and ovulation. More generally, it gives you feelings of arousal, excitement, giddiness, and euphoria. PEA can be found in chocolate, diet soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, diet pills, amphetamines, and marijuana.
In addition PEA also releases dopamine, a primary neurotransmitter for the production of pleasure. Dopamine is associated with states of euphoria, craving and addiction. Dopamine gives you a high feeling, all addictive drugs simulate the production of dopamine. When we get a dose of dopamine we get the message to do whatever it is we did over and over again. High levels of dopamine are also associated with norepinephrine, which heightens attention, short-term memory, hyperactivity, sleeplessness and goal-oriented behavior. In other words, couples in this stage of love focus intently on the relationship and often on little else. There was a study of people who had recently fallen in love; on average they spent about 80 percent of their waking hours thinking of the ones they loved.
Dopamine stimulates the production of oxytocin. Studies show that oxytocin is associated not only with feelings of attachment and bonding, but also the ability to maintain healthy relationships. Oxytocin increases skin sensitivity, promotes the desire to touch and be touch, and increases in response to...
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