Chemistry Of Love

What is love? have you ever fallen in love with someone? what does it feel to be in love? and why do we fall in love with certain people but not everyone? do you believe in destiny and still waiting for the one or have already met your soulmate? 

These are some difficult questions that matter to any human being at different ages in different situations and still, there is no clear-cut definition of what love is. Yes, you may have your definition but there is no correct formula to LOVE.

And I don't suggest you dig deep to search for the perfect definition of love as it seems to me, like searching for the edges of the universe. so don’t do it. I don’t recommend it at all.

But I do have a suggestion to look for. That is the biochemical overview of love. This won’t be a complete definition but technically yes. So let's see what biology says about love.

Love can be divided into 3 categories chemically, Lust, Attraction, and Attachment.

Each category is characterized by its own set of hormones released from the brain. Testosterone and estrogen drive lust; Dopamine, Norepinephrine, and Serotonin create attraction; and Oxytocin and Vasopressin integrate attachment.

The Lust

Lust is driven by the desire for sexual gratification. This is derived from the evolutionary basis of our need to reproduce which is a need shared among all living things. Through reproduction, organisms pass on their genes and thus contribute to the perpetuation of their species.

The hypothalamus of the brain plays a big role in this, stimulating the production of the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen from the testes and ovaries. Testosterone increases sexual drive. The effects are less observed with estrogen, but some women report being more sexually aroused around the time they ovulate, that is when estrogen levels are high.

The Attraction 

Attraction can happen with or without lust. That means you will perhaps be fallen in love with someone regardless of their age, gender, etc. Dopamine, produced by the hypothalamus, is the player here. It’s released when we do things that feel good to us. These things include spending time with loved ones, having prolonged phone calls over the phone, and texting. The primary “reward” centers of the brain, fire up when a person sees someone he is intensely attracted to, compared to any other familiar person but who he is not attracted to.

High levels of dopamine and a related hormone, norepinephrine, are released during attraction. These chemicals can even lead to decrease appetite and cause insomnia –This explains why some people say they don’t even want to eat when they are in love. You may say that’s foolish but that is scientifically possible because attraction seems to lead to a reduction in Serotonin, a hormone that’s known to be involved in appetite and mood.

Fascinatingly, people who suffer from OCD also have low levels of serotonin. So this explains why some people get crazily attached to someone or in other words be infatuated, which is an obsession or an intense desire for someone that is often short-lived.

The Attachment

Last but not least, in long-term partnerships, a connection is the most important aspect. The two primary hormones here are Oxytocin and Vasopressin.

Similar to Dopamine, Oxytocin is produced by the hypothalamus and released in large quantities during sex, breastfeeding, and childbirth which are the events that lead to bonding.

It also explains why having separate spaces for attachment, lust, and attraction is important: we are tied to our closest family, but those other feelings have no place there, and people who have jumbled this up don't have the finest history.

The Bad Side of love

Jealousy, unpredictable behavior, and irrationality, and other negative feelings and moods, are frequently associated with love. It appears that our amiable gang of hormones is also to blame for the drawbacks of love.

Dopamine, for example, is the hormone in charge of the great majority of the brain's reward system, which means it's in charge of both good and unpleasant things.

Dopamine is a key factor that involves in addiction. For instance, when a cocaine addict consumes drugs, dopamine signaling takes place for a longer time than in an average and as a result, it leads to a temporary high. Similarly, attraction is similar to addiction. And stimulates the same region of the brain as in drug addiction. And addicts who are experiencing withdrawal are similar to love-struck people who want the company of someone they can't see.

In the end, I would conclude that love is all a chemical phenomenon. And it can still be for the best or the worst.  Even though it is a biochemical process, and as it is not an involuntary action unlike breathing, you still have control over your actions, so it will be beneficial to everyone.