Now that I got that out of my system, I should make it clear that I didn't just choose the title "What is Love?" to implant that song in your internal phonological loop. I actually took it verbatim from the title of the section on love in The Science of Health by Dr. Florence L. Meredith, published in 1942.
Meredith talks about love in such a beautifully simple way, I had to just put the whole quote here:
"At a higher level of attraction is the emotion that deserves the name of love. Love is not "blind" as tradition has it, but clear-eyed. To be sure it idealizes, but does not exclude a concept of the real person. Since it does not depend entirely upon illusion, it is more likely to be lasting. Also, real love is sublimated beyond the sensory and selfish level, and is not only a sensual and romantic relationship, but a companionship as well. Finally, real love is altruistic. It seeks at all costs the welfare of the one who is loved. In those who are capable of it, such love throws a glory around life that is not dimmed even by the renunciation of all that is personal."Okay. So love is emotional, beyond the senses, physical, social, and altruistic. Got it. This must be the reason that studies of love draw from social sciences, evolution, biology, and psychology.
Diagnosis: LOVE Scientists are teasing out this tangle of chemistry, biology, emotion and experience by Susan Brink briefly covers the many different scientific facets to the study of love in an easy to understand and summarizing way.
Attraction can be considered both a social and experience-driven desire as well as a molecular one. On the social side, having "chemistry" means having things in common with the other person and sharing a personal history. Our experience, so, our parents, movies we've seen, books we've read, etc...all have a role in determining who we fall in love with.
That being said, the biology of love cannot be ignored. Initial attraction has a biological and psychological basis. Women tend to prefer men who have symmetrical faces and men prefer a certain hip to waist ratio for their women. Odors, both conscious and unconscious also play a role in determining attraction. This is both from an experience stand point (smelling a cologne that was on a partner where things ended badly could conjure up strong negative emotions) and also a biological stand point (MHC, major histocompatability complex is an unconscious odor that dissuades people who are related to mate).
Looking past attraction, both social and physical, love exemplifies something more. It is a craving, an addition, a "can't-eat, can't-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over-the-fence, World Series kind of stuff." (i hope you all understood that It Takes Two quote from one of my favorite childhood movies...)
One study involving fMRI found results in brain activity in participants who were in love similar to those of addicts of alcohol and drugs.
Another study found that those who were lovesick, (which was actually measured experimentally) when shown pictures of their loved ones exemplified similar brain activity in the ventral tegmental area and other regions of the brain associated with motivation, elation, and focused attention. This is the same part of the brain that is activated in smokers when reaching for another cigarette and gamblers when they think they are going to win more money.
Oh, and that altruistic component of love? Its basically because being in love is like being on drugs. People do crazy things in love and they do crazy things on drugs. Keep reading if you want an explanation...
A similar fMRI study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine also found activity in the ventral tegmental area of the brain, and the author of this study describes love as "a high," where the brain releases chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin to coordinate with other areas of the brain active in cravings. This initial neural activity sends messages to the caudate nucleus, a dopamine rich area in the basal ganglia, where unconscious habits are stored, thus turning the loved one into a habit and obsession.
This chemical reaction of LOVE can happen at any age, from young to old and with anyone, man or woman.
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