Romantic relationships have several stages. Neuro chemically, there are several processes that occur in the brain depending on whether we are in one or another stage of love. Love influences us in many ways. Especially in the infatuation phase, love creates a feeling of physical and mental well-being in our bodies.
That’s why scientists have focused on studying what neuro chemical facts can be seen when we fall in love. Here we explain it to you.
What neuro chemical effects does falling in love have?
The “fault” lies with compounds such as methamphetamine. It is an organic compound within the amphetamine family, which is released when we fall in love. This is defined by one of the first biological hypotheses
According to this researcher, falling in love would be associated with increased levels of methamphetamine. Why? There were sufficient similarities between the chemical structure of this neurotransmitter and that of amphetamines that cause changes in mood (which closely resemble the initial stage of a romance).
Furthermore, they also saw a change in hormones like testosterone. In conclusion, they point out that their study would suggest that falling in love represents a “physiological” and transient condition characterized (or underlying) by peculiar hormonal patterns, one of which, involving testosterone, appears to show specificity related to sex.
Other hormones that act in infatuation
Falling in love other hormones come into play. For example, oxytocin and vasopressin stimulate the formation of emotional contact. It appears in the blood in intimate encounters, from a glance to a hug, a kiss or the sexual act in
Testosterone also plays a role, which seems to increase your concentration when you have sex. Normally, men have much higher levels of this hormone than women and not only in the blood, but in saliva.
Finally, we have melatonin, which prevents premature aging and increases the feeling of vitality and feeling good. And a good dose of norepinephrine causes a good mood, lifts spirits, and makes people look happy and vital. It also appears when there is love and passion.
Stages of romantic relationships
Stage 1: Falling in love
“Being in love” is the first phase of a relationship. This phase is characterized by great passion, a rapid increase in intimacy and greater commitment. This phase is relatively short-lived, usually around half a year. Love during this phase causes excitement and stress. Stress is caused by insecurity and can lead to mood swings.
Stage 2: Passionate love
After several months to a year, the initial phase of euphoria, excitement, and stress seems to evolve into a phase of “passionate love.” This phase is generally characterized by feelings of security, calm and balance. Levels of various neuroendocrine factors that showed abnormal levels in the first stage, including NGF (Nerve Growth Factor), platelet serotonin transporter, and abnormalities in the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal), have now returned to normal.
In this second phase, passion remains high, while intimacy and commitment continue to increase steadily. Stress decreases, which can result in various health benefits. Furthermore, oxytocin and vasopressin are believed to be the main factors during this phase because they are involved in the formation of strong bond pairs between the pair.
Stage 3: «Accompanying love»
The passionate love phase usually lasts for several years before evolving into accompanying love. This phase is characterized by a decrease in passion, while intimacy and commitment remain high. Actually, the love relationship in this phase is quite similar to friendships. Again, oxytocin and vasopressin are believed to be the dominant hormones, re-establishing and maintaining ties between the couple.
Not all relationships eventually evolve into companionship. Many relationships end during the previous phases. The end of the passionate love phase transitions with the beginning of this phase, and is also considered a particularly fragile period in a relationship. When intimacy is low, commitment may be all that remains after passion has subsided, a kind of love known as “empty love.”
Many couples will break up in this situation, but if the commitment to the relationship is strong enough, the couple could stay together. On the other hand, some couples claim that they still feel passionately in love after 20 years of marriage, indicating that some relationships may never evolve into companionship, but remain in earlier phases. It is still unclear what factors cause a relationship to follow a particular course.
Love is addictive
Love influences us so much that it can be addictive. It generates the same pleasure or feeling as a drug, wishing to spend more time with the other person.
Oxytocin for the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction
It seems that oxytocin is not only a hormone that appears in love and childbirth. And it is that according to researchers at the University of Baltimore in Maryland (United States), oxytocin can help normalize the attenuated stress responses and attenuate the hypercortisolism associated with withdrawal, negative mood and withdrawal symptoms.
Curious, right? It seems that love influences the body in a very specific way, but neurochemically speaking, these processes involved in love are also shared with addictions such as alcohol or drugs.
