| People who have been swept off their feet | | | | Researchers at University College in London |
| know the feeling. Love makes us all feel | | | | recently recorded changes in the brains of |
| funny. That sense of giddy disorientation, | | | | people who described themselves as "truly and |
| unsinkable euphoria and complete obsession | | | | madly" in love. The researchers, Andreas |
| with a new love can be so overpowering, that | | | | Bartels and Semir Zeki used a functional |
| it's hard to imagine it's all about emotion. | | | | magnetic resonance imager to scan the brains |
| Now scientists are confirming there indeed | | | | of 17 lovehappy volunteers. When the team |
| may be a lot more going on in a body that's | | | | showed volunteers photos of their lovers, the |
| in love than simple, happy thoughts. In fact, | | | | results were dramatic. Four small areas of |
| a spate of research has shown what kind of | | | | the brain lit up instantly the same areas |
| chemical and neurological activities occur at | | | | that have been shown to respond to |
| different stages of human and animal | | | | euphoria-inducing drugs.Old friends, |
| relationships. While the results hardly make | | | | apparently, don't quite cause the same stir. |
| love less mysterious, they do start to shed | | | | Fisher is conducting similar studies and is |
| light on why it can make people feel so | | | | scanning the brain activity of people newly |
| funny.DOPED UPHelen Fisher, a research | | | | in love.THREE STAGES OF LOVEAs most know; |
| professor of anthropology at Rutgers | | | | however, the rush people feel from new love |
| University , is among many scientists who | | | | usually doesn't last forever. And Fisher is |
| believe the flush of a new love is enhanced | | | | also interested in understanding the |
| by natural stimulants in the brain, dopamine | | | | biological stimulants and anthropological |
| and norepinphrine. She explains that high | | | | explanations for all phases of love.She |
| levels of these natural chemicals can make | | | | argues that there are three main stages to a |
| people lose their appetites and their desire | | | | love relationship: lust, romantic love and |
| for sleep, just by thinking about their new | | | | attachment. The first, she says, is "to get |
| infatuations. "These are basic traits | | | | you looking for anything at all" and is |
| commonly associated with romantic love and | | | | driven by hormones like testosterone.The |
| with these natural stimulants," she says. | | | | romantic love phase, which creates the brain |
| "What else could explain the way you | | | | chemical reactions described by the London |
| constantly think about a person, about the | | | | researchers, serves to "force you to focus |
| way you want to read them your bad | | | | your mating energy on one person at a |
| poetry?"Further studies show that gushy | | | | time."And the fmal, less steamy stage of |
| romantic sensations may be similar to the | | | | attachment is to ensure that any children |
| highs drug addicts feel when they're under | | | | produced by a love match has parents at least |
| the influence. Nora Volkow; the associate | | | | through its early years.Research shows there |
| director for life sciences at Brookhaven | | | | may also be chemicals associated with |
| National Laboratory in New York , has | | | | feelings of attachment. When researchers |
| analysed the behaviours of drug addicts and | | | | injected a natural chemical called oxytocin |
| people in love and found striking parallels. | | | | into the mice, the animals immediately formed |
| "When a person is passionately in love, it is | | | | attachments. When they injected chemicals |
| extremely exciting and provocative, and if | | | | that block the effect of oxytocin, Fisher |
| the loved one is not there, distressing," | | | | says; the mice "avoided their partners and |
| says Volkow. "When I see my drug addicted | | | | acted like cads."Recent studies have zeroed |
| patients, it just clicks with me how similar | | | | in on the chemistry of love, revealing what |
| the addiction is. "The fact that drug | | | | kind of chemical and neurological activities |
| addiction and passionate love may trigger the | | | | occur at different stages of human and animal |
| same responses, signals to Volkow that drug | | | | relationships.Love is enhanced by natural |
| addiction is especially dangerous since it | | | | stimulants to the brain, dopamine and |
| taps into a natural sensation.STIRRING THE | | | | noreinphrine.Gushy romantic sensations |
| BRAINShe points out that recent studies show | | | | similar to the high of drug addiction.Regions |
| the same regions of the brain including the | | | | of the brain stirred when thinking of the |
| frontal cortex which is activated when a drug | | | | loved one.The stages of lust, love and |
| addict is high and when someone in love is | | | | attachment are affected by body chemicals. |
| looking at a picture of a loved one. | | | | |