By Parvi Anand
Love, the perplexing force that binds hearts together, becomes the star of the show with Valentine’s Day just around the corner. While artists and poets try to capture its essence, scientists dive straight into the wonders of this powerful force of attraction.
I spoke to two experts in the chemistry and biology of love, Mr. Crowley, a biology lover, and Mrs. Vernon, a chemistry enthusiast, to understand the science behind one of our most profound emotions.
Mr. Crowley shared the biology behind love, discussing the various aspects of the nature of this emotion. “Love exists in various forms—self-love, love for others, intimate connections, and more—each with its unique hormonal signature,” he said. “The body responds to the sense of love through intricate pathways, involving vasodilation, increased blood flow, and hormonal releases that contribute to the pleasurable experience associated with love.”
Specifically, Mr. Crowley highlights how dopamine and oxytocin are involved in the biochemistry of love. Often referred to as the “love hormone” or “bonding hormone,” he shared that it “fosters social connections and intimacy whereas the pleasure-related neurotransmitter dopamine is essential to the ecstasy of love.” Essentially, these molecules are released, and this serves as the starting point for the chemical reactions that occur when one feels love.
Moving on to the evolutionary reasons behind romantic love, Mr. Crowley excitedly pointed out the development of love in comparison to other primates. “Social structures and interactions among humans have been critical in shaping brain development,” he said, providing the ability for us to form and maintain bonds being a key aspect.
As for genetic factors, Mr. Crowley exclaims that “I bet there are” when asked whether it can influence the type of love we experience. He emphasized that both genetics and upbringing can “influence an individual’s tendency to experience different types of love.”
There are many specific chemicals and hormones involved in the chemistry of love. Dopamine and serotonin are two examples of neurotransmitters that are important in romantic emotions and contribute to the unique experiences of love and attraction. The body releases chemical signals called pheromones, which also affect attraction and how we perceive love.
Expanding on this, Ms. Vernon shared the chemistry of love with a more personal touch, emphasizing the impact of understanding this science on relationships and personal well-being. She suggested that comprehending how our brains respond to stimuli and the changing chemistry over time can enhance the quality of our relationships. “Think about that first smitten feeling and crush, it is a different feeling then the long-term, romantic relationship or even a friendship,” she said.
When we hear the term love we often think of just the romantic type, but “there are a lot of other ways to experience it,” she said. Our brain works in mysterious ways, often clocking a positive and good feeling, while it can be tricking us. Mrs. Vernon chuckled, sharing how she is guilty of being a scroller of Tik Tok, and asked “You know the red flag guy?” I nodded, and she continued, “We often mistake the red flags for good things because our brains try to fool us. So that’s where having friends that tell you the truth, and help you see clearer is quite useful.”
Over time we experience changes in brain chemistry. As a parent, Ms. Vernon shared how it can alter one’s serotonin and oxytocin levels, leading to positive changes in neural connections. However there is a downside as “you lose white matter in your brain, so if your parents forget things it’s your fault.”
As we were on the topic of families, there is also an evolutionary desire to stick together now called love. Back then “we had to stick together and that bond is now called love. It kept our people together, and protected them from predators and other sets of people.” As we are not far along in our evolutionary history, we are “invested in protecting our bond with our nuclear families.”
Knowing the deep science behind Valentine’s Day love gives us a newfound appreciation for the richness and depth of our emotions. It seems that love is a result of a bunch of chemicals and pathways that weave the fabric of our relationships with others, rather than just simply being a poetic matter of the heart.
