What parts of the Brain are activated by Love?

Why do we fall in love? Why does love exist? Thanks to the great advances in science, it is known that the feeling of love does not flourish in the heart but in the brain. The emotions of love had always been attributed to the heart and although it is true that the physiological sensation is felt in this organ, neuroscience has managed to turn 180 degrees and affirm that in reality, hormones, pheromones and neurotransmitters are the protagonists of what we know as love.

Anyone who has fallen in love knows the rush of intense and contradictory feelings that this feeling brings with it. When you connect with someone, you can't stop thinking about that person, you always want to be next to them and ultimately, it seems that you have gone crazy. In reality, in this situation, you are experiencing an explosive cocktail of chemicals that is equivalent to falling madly in love with someone.

"What parts of the brain are activated in love?". This has been an interesting question for researchers and therefore, there are various studies that try to answer it. According to the experts, it is not an easy task since unlike other emotions such as anger, disgust or pleasure, love is much more complex and abstract since it seems to involve many areas of the brain. In today's article, we will focus on the brain processes involved in love. Stay to discover what happens on a neurobiological level when you feel that you have found that person who fits you perfectly.

• Related article: "What is love? (And what isn't)"

Elements that intervene in love

When we fall in love with someone, our limbic system is activated. That is to say, it is that basic brain, which is carried away purely by instincts. We cannot forget that we are animals and, therefore, when we like someone, the procreation instinct is activated and this is when the first phase of falling in love begins.

Later is when chemical reactions come into play and a series of neurotransmitters are released in the brain which are fundamental when trying to understand the reason why we fall in love.

• You may be interested in: "Types of neurotransmitters: functions and classification"

neurotransmitters associated with love

let's start with dopamine. This neurotransmitter is in charge of making us feel pleasure and euphoria when being with our love. It's based on he brain reward system and this is the main reason why we create the constant need to be with the loved one. This is not surprising since dopamine is also responsible for the strong hook suffered by gamblers and drug addicts. Going a step further, both in love and with drugs, when dopamine disappears, mono, sadness and obsession appear.

Cortisol levels, the stress hormone, rise in the early stages of romantic love. The pulse quickens, the palms sweat, and the cheeks flush. As if this were not enough, norepinephrine is activated, which gives us a great shot of adrenaline, and consequently, a roller coaster of emotions is turned on and makes it seem that we have lost our mind. Has it happened to you that you have not felt hungry or sleepy due to the disproportionate sensation of joy, effusiveness and even nervousness? This occurs thanks to norepinephrine. In short, we stop thinking clearly and without realizing it, we reduce our world to a single person.

We continue with the biological fireworks, and this time it comes into play phenylethylamine. This neurotransmitter makes everything more intense. Its job is to secrete enormous amounts of dopamine creating effects similar to “amphetamines”. Therefore, it is not surprising that people in love have a state of natural euphoria, feeling incredibly happy, optimistic and motivated.

You may be familiar with oxytocin, known colloquially as the love hormone.. This substance is released with physical contact, especially during sex, skin-to-skin contact, and looking at each other. It makes us feel closer to our partner and, in turn, increases feelings of calm, satisfaction, and security. It is also curious that our imagination and expectations, both realistic and not, fail to release oxytocin in the brain, causing the same results as in-person contact. Likewise, jealousy in the couple is also influenced by oxytocin. When we perceive "a threat", the levels of this substance decrease significantly and cortisol increases, generating fear, panic and a lot of anxiety.

Finally, serotonin decreases in love. By dropping this neurotransmitter, obsessive behaviors and thoughts are explained. It is known that the decrease in serotonin leads to various psychiatric pathologies such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). As it happens, a key characteristic of romantic love is constantly thinking about the person you love, ruminating about how to respond appropriately to their messages, wanting to be constantly with that person, etc

• Related article: "Emotional psychology: main theories of emotion"

What parts of the brain are activated by love?

Based on 20 different studies where they examined the brain activity of love using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we can conclude that both love and sexual desire activate areas of the striated nucleus and of the insula. Study participants were required to view erotic images or photographs of the person they were in love and the researchers measured their brain activity while they were engaged in such tasks.

The results show that the area activated by love is involved in the conditioning process through which everything associated with a reward or pleasure receives an inherent value. And on the other hand, the area that is activated by sexual desire is turned on by things that are inherently pleasurable, such as sex or food. Put another way, as feelings of sexual desire turn into love, they are processed in a different place in the striatum. In addition, it has been discovered that sexual desire has a specific objective, love is more abstract and more complex, as we discussed above.

The study also showed that love is in the same brain area of ​​drug addiction. Therefore, it is not surprising that the feeling of love generates addiction, withdrawal and relapses just as it occurs with addictive substances.

In conclusion…

After reading this article, every time you hear phrases like "I love you with all my heart", you will know that love is actually guided by neural circuits and that release of certain neurotransmitters and chemical substances, give way to feelings of euphoria, happiness, and general well-being that being madly in love produces in couple.