Let's take a look at the symptoms of falling in love: heart palpitations, sweaty palms, flushing of the face - these are all "tricks" of dopamine, norepinephrine and phenylethylamine. The first of these hormones is considered a "source of pleasure", under its influence a person experiences real bliss.
Norepinephrine is similar in action to adrenaline - it makes the heart beat faster. And phenylethylamine is responsible for sexual arousal at the sight of a partner.
According to Helen Fisher, the combination of dopamine and norepinephrine stimulates a storm of emotions during the phase of falling in love. But what is interesting: our body releases the “cocktail of love” only under certain conditions. Moreover, men release much more of these hormones than women. Maybe this is precisely what explains the extravagant actions that the stronger sex commits in the name of love.
→ If there is more dopamine, then the person becomes curious, energetic and even impulsive. Seeks attention from the same people.
→ The predominance of serotonin obliges to adhere to the rules, rituals. So that everything was as it is written in a romantic book. And in this case, craving for similar partners also prevails.
→ Another situation with testosterone. If it is produced more than other hormones, the person is looking for his opposite - the one who is dominated by oxytocin and estrogen (caring, empathic personality). Moreover, she, as a rule, also reaches out to her antipode - the decisive and strong testosterone type.
Sexual desire
Lust is the evolutionary basis for human survival. It is she who dictates to us the desire to reproduce: to give birth to offspring, pass on our genes and preserve the species. It regulates its hypothalamus - a section of the brain - with the help of active production of testosterone and estrogen.
The effect of estrogen is to sexually motivate a woman during ovulation.
But testosterone is more universal - it increases libido in both men and women. And at any time, without reference to ovulation.
Sexual attraction and love attraction are two different things. In the first case, we are talking, rather, about physiology. Whereas in the second one is dominated by emotions.
When we like something or someone very much, there is a surge of dopamine - there is a lot of it, we feel pleasure, joy, a surge of positive emotions.
But all this is still not a full-fledged attraction. To "get hung up" on the object of sympathy, you need to thoroughly shake the body - norepinephrine is responsible for this. Sweaty palms and pounding of the heart are his influence. Under the influence of this hormone, a man in love is ready to watch for hours at the entrance of his beloved or rush on a date from the other end of the country.
Norepinephrine combined with dopamine induces a desire for love that borders on madness. Therefore, the expression "lost his head from love" has a physiological background.
For falling in love to turn into stable love relationships, attachment is needed - a feeling that we experience not only for people of the opposite sex, but also for our parents, children, and friends.
Oxytocin and vasopressin affect the onset of attachment. The first is called the hug hormone. It is excreted in greatest quantities during sex, childbirth and breastfeeding. He is also responsible for the gentle, attentive, benevolent attitude of one person to another. And also for getting pleasure from communicating with certain people.
And vasopressin is a hormone of fidelity. Its job is to provide a lasting attachment effect. Even if the crush is gone, vasopressin will keep you loyal to your partner for a while.
Nevertheless, seemingly harmless dopamine forms dependence on the object of sympathy. The person becomes obsessive, demanding. It is extremely unpleasant to communicate with him. If he cannot take control of his feelings and behavior, he will alienate even the most loving partner. By the way, the dopamine pathway (the effect of the hormone on the body) resembles the effect of cocaine. But if the drug provides a temporary rush of sensation, then the dopamine surges can occur regularly.
Oxytocin "turns off the brain" when sexually attracted to the object of sympathy. After we fall in love, we stop thinking critically, we follow the lead of our feelings.
Despite the fact that hormones really control your passions in love, you should not rely on your body and go with the flow. Our actions are governed not only by physiology, but also by the volitional sphere. That is, with the help of will, we can suppress any effect of hormonal surges. It gives you a sense of control over your life, which is good news.
Now you know everything about love)) I tried to retell it very succinctly)
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