Love in the Brain

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Love in the Brain

Does brain equal behavior? Some people have argued that they have difficulty saying it does because they find it hard to believe that our individual, tangible brain controls emotions that many consider to be intangible, such as being in love. This paper will discuss the role that the brain actually plays in love- why we are attracted to certain people, why we feel the way we do when we are around them, and whether or not this is enough to say that in the case of love, brain does equal behavior.

The first stage of romantic love begins with attraction. Whether you have been best friends for a long time or you just met the person, you begin your romantic relationship when there is that feeling of attraction. But why are we attracted to some people and not to others? Some research and experimentation suggests that pheromones play a role in attraction ((1), (2), (3), (4)). Although the existence of pheromones in humans and the method by which individuals detect them is still under debate and requires further research, a study by Stern and McClintock on pheromones in women's underarm secretion gives the most solid evidence for the existence of human pheromones ((5)). It has been hypothesized that the brain detects these pheromones through an organ known as the vomeronasal organ (VNO), by receptors, or by the terminal nerve in the nostrils ((5)). Despite the fact that pheromones and how they are detected in humans is controversial, it has been suggested that selectivity for certain pheromones might explain why we are only attracted to certain people ((6)).

Research agrees, however, that whether or not pheromones exist, they are not the only reason we are attracted to an individual. Other facto...

... middle of paper ...

...at's in a name? Bioscience. July 1998: 505-511.

6) Love Chemistry: New studies analyze love's effects

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/love000707.html

7) Mating and Temperament

http://keirsey.com/pygmalion/couples.html

8) What is chemistry and chemicals in love relationships

http://www.cyberparent.com/love/chem1.htm

9) Chemicals

http://dubinserver.colorado.edu/prj/swef02/references.html

10) Love in the Brain

http://www.sensualism.com/love/

11) BBC News- Health- How the brain registers love

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/820857.stm

12) My search for love and wisdom in the brain by Marian Diamond

http://www.newhorizons.org/neuro/diamond_wisdom.htm

13) Bower, Bruce. Brain faces up to fear, social signs. Science News. Dec 1994: 406.

14) Biology of Love

http://www.primal.es/primal/books/janov/biologyoflove.htm

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