Science & Technology - Posted by Sara Miller-Syracuse on Monday, October 18, 2010 16:30 - 6 Comments 
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(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Your brain can’t get enough love
Falling in love is more scientific than we may think, according to a new study, which finds that it not only elicits the same euphoric feeling as using cocaine, but also affects intellectual areas of the brain. (Credit: iStockphoto)
SYRACUSE U. (US) — When a person falls in love, 12 areas of the brain work in tandem to release the same euphoric feeling as using cocaine, according to a new study.
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The text of this article by Futurity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License.
The love feeling, which only takes about a fifth of a second to occur, also affects sophisticated cognitive functions, such as mental representation, metaphors, and body image.
So what really falls in love, the heart or the brain?
“That’s a tricky question,” says Stephanie Ortigue, assistant professor of psychology at Syracuse University.
“I would say the brain, but the heart is also related because the complex concept of love is formed by both bottom-up and top-down processes from the brain to the heart and vice versa.
“For instance, activation in some parts of the brain can generate stimulations to the heart, butterflies in the stomach. Some symptoms we sometimes feel as a manifestation of the heart may sometimes be coming from the brain.”
The results of the study are published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Previous research has found that blood levels of nerve growth factor, or NGF, also increased, and were significantly higher in couples who had just fallen in love. This molecule plays an important role in the social chemistry of humans, or the phenomenon of ‘love at first sight.’
“These results confirm love has a scientific basis,” says Ortigue.
The findings have major implications for neuroscience and mental health research because when love doesn’t work out, it can be a significant cause of emotional stress and depression, Ortigue says.
“It’s another probe into the brain and into the mind of a patient. By understanding why they fall in love and why they are so heartbroken, they can use new therapies.”
By identifying the parts of the brain stimulated by love, doctors and therapists can better understand the pains of love-sick patients.
The study also shows different parts of the brain fall for different kinds of love.
For example, unconditional love, such as that between a mother and a child, is sparked by the common and different brain areas, including the middle of the brain, while passionate love is sparked by the reward part of the brain and associative cognitive brain areas that have higher-order cognitive functions, such as body image.
Researchers from West Virginia University and Geneva University Psychiatric Center in Switzerland contributed to the study.
More news from Syracuse University: http://sunews.syr.edu
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6 Comments
Stuart A. Bair, M.D.
pat a thomas
I fail to see how this study’s results “confirm love has a scientific basis,” or how they explain “why (people) fall in love and why they are so heartbroken.” The results show discernable physical manifestations in the brain of someone in love, maybe, but it does not follow that those manifestations “confirm love has a scientific basis,” only that the effects of love can be observed scientifically. Observing the effects of love do not answer why someone falls in love or why they become “heartbroken.” Those claims overreach. To claim love has a scientific basis, the “scientific” triggers that cause love would have to be verified and described.
Ken
Sounds correct to me……I’ve just recently had to let go of the love of my life and ill tell you that at least 12 parts of my brian were effected. and my heart felt like someone took it out of my body and jumped up and down on it for an hour…….ug………I hope they continue to study this endlessly……its the best feeling in the world and the absolute worst feeling to lose your love…….K
pat a thomas
It comes down to the question: do the results show cause (“love has a scientific basis” and “why (people) fall in love and why they are so heartbroken” ) or do they demonstrate effect (discernable in the brain but not caused by brain activity)?
I really liked your blog post.Really thank you! Awesome.
bonbony eshhhh
yes …Tottaly agree..just fall in love..and my life upside down :)
Just an off the wall thought, but I wonder if it were possible to check the level of NGF in autistic kids and consider it as a therapeutic option akin to the research with oxytocin recently.