The Chemistry of Love

[Prof.Diorry]

The Hormones of Love

Dopamine is the first of the Love Hormones, it is produced in the Brain and this euphoric compound generates focused attention as well as unweaving motivation & goal directed behavior. Dopamine causes the Heart pounding, sleepless nights, anxiety and the butterflies in the stomach we all experience in the presents of the one we love. Its involvement in the love system may explain why people who are love struck become so dependent on their romantic relationships and crave for sexual union. Dependency and craving are both symptoms of addiction. Dopamine causes persistence and is responsible for our compulsive need to get the one we love and hear them say those famous three letter words “I love you”. It also drives up levels of testosterone which increases sexual desire making us horny.


Serotonin causes obsessive and intrusive thinking. Constant meditation of the one we love leads to phrases like "I simply can't get you off my mind". As the affair continues serotonin levels plummet due to a negative feedback relationship with dopamine. Falling serotonin levels explain why the one in love starts to day dream, fantasize and obsess about their lover. At this point there are already in a transient state, an involuntary uncontrollable love consciousness. It is often unplanned and as feelings and emotions overwhelm lovers it becomes increasingly hard to resist sexual and emotion union. It is as if something or someone higher than one’s self is in control that someone is Mother Nature isn't she powerful.


Oxytocin & Vasopressin, the last stop on the Love Train and most definitely, the nails in the coffin. These two are mention together because they are similar in both structure and function. The only difference is women have higher levels of Oxytocin while men have higher levels of Vasopressin. These hormones cause feelings of attachment among humans or the formation of pair bonds. It is argued in many academic circles that human's ability to bond for life is due to oxytocin and vasopressin levels. Imagine that, what determines whether you stick with the one you love boils down to two chemicals in your brain. Highly unlikely though but It should also be noted that only 15% of Animals in the world bond for life it is not that common. Certainly humans have the choice to go either way. What marvels me about Vasopressin is that it is inhibited by Testosterone thus denying males of emotional bonding with woman particular after sex. This of course is an evolutionary advantage to men which would be explained in chapter 3. Oxytocin on the other hand brings females closer to males after they have sex as the levels increase in the brain during orgasm. Oxytocin also bonds mothers to infants during pregnancy, it is the cuddle hormone.


The chemical pathways taken by substances such as Dopamine and Serotonin in the brain is no different from the ones taken by drugs such as Cocaine and Marijuana. The effects on our brain chemistry are remarkable similar. Falling in Love is quite a dangerous act indeed and when it’s over the withdrawal of these incredible feelings causes us to suffer separation anxiety and emotion sickness. Maybe this is why women take longer than men to fall in love they are somehow more cautious of its effects since they are more emotional receptive to it.