The science of love.

[Gambit 74]

I love  science so I think I will start doing these "the science of..." posts, here's the first one, tell me if you like it

We've all felt in love with someone once. Actually, did you know that, (scientifically) it only takes less than 10 seconds to fall in love with someone?   So yeah, love at first sight is literally real!

 

This is because of the chemical reactions in our brains. To start with, dopamine, which is created in the brain and adrenal glands, enhances the release of testosterone. Dopamine affects various organs, including the genitals, the sweat glands, and also the senses. As a consequence of dopamine being released, mood and emotions are also influenced, leading to feelings of excitement and happiness. 

But what exactly is 'love'?  

Romantic love both exhilarates and motivates us. It is also critical to the continuation of our species. Without the attachment of romantic love, we would live in an entirely different society that more closely resembled some (but not all) of those social circles in the animal world. The chemicals that race around in our brain when we're in love serve several purposes, and the primary goal is the continuation of our species. Those chemicals are what make us want to form families and have children. Once we have children, those chemicals change to encourage us to stay together to raise those children. So in a sense, love really is a chemical addiction that occurs to keep us reproducing.

 

And what makes us fall in love?  

Well, there would be 3 things to take into consideration. Appearance, personality, and pheromones.

Appearance: Many researchers have speculated that we tend to go for members of the opposite sex who remind us of our parents (Yes, you read that right). Some have even found that we tend to be attracted to those who remind us of ourselves.

Personality: Like appearance, we tend to form preferences for those who remind us of our parents (or others close to us through childhood) because of their personality, sense of humor, likes and dislikes, etc.

Pheromones: In the animal world, pheromones are individual scent "prints" found in urine or sweat that dictate sexual behavior and attract the opposite sex. The existence of human pheromones was discovered in 1986 by scientists at the Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia and its counterpart in France. They found these chemicals in human sweat. A human VNO has also been found in some, but not all, people. Even if the VNO isn't present in all of us -- and may not be working in those who do have it -- there is still evidence that smell is an important aspect of love.

Did you know that only three percent of mammals (aside from the human species) form "family" relationships like we do? The prairie vole is one such animal. This vole mates for life and prefers spending time with its mate over spending time with any other voles. Voles even go to the extreme of avoiding voles of the opposite sex.

 

So there you have it ponies. the science of love   Tell if you liked it, and if you didn't, tell me as well, so I can improve if I do a second "the science of"!  Have any specific topic you want me to talk about? PM me anytime

[rarity1 461]

I don't think I'm looking for someone that reminds me of my parents. 

[Clawdeen 26,539]

I will personally jump off a cliff if I ever end up with somebody who is like either of my parents. 

[Dreambiscuit 12,666]

As impressive as all the scientific study appears to be, love is an intangible thing that, like the working of the human brain, is too complex to be distilled down into simple, categorized bundles that fit neatly under a few dozen blanket headings to explain all things. There may be a few things that contribute, but none that, on their own, cover the whole messy miracle called love. Conscious and subconscious things form the human psyche, and no one really knows how or why it works. In my opinion, falling in love with someone comes from recognizing something in another human being that others don’t see, and responding to it. This way, humans have the ability to make connections that are unique to themselves and create the love connection. If people didn’t have these ‘types’ they’d never be able to recognize a potential mate and everything would be random. So I think people develop, or have built-in, cues to assist in perpetuating the race.

As for monogamy and the family unit, humans are designed to create and live in that setting, because it’s a system that works. Some animals may have the same system, but for humans, who live longer than most animals, it’s essential to develop over the long haul in a way that nurtures and supports their more complex brain and social system, allowing us to fine-tune and recognize the things we love and respond to in a positive way.  

[DubWolf 20,695]

Science of love? I only know about… the power of love  !

 

[Fluttershutter 3,671]

 

and characters and stuff

[Snoopy Fan 17,894]

On 2025-02-20 at 5:13 AM, Dreambiscuit said:

As impressive as all the scientific study appears to be, love is an intangible thing that, like the working of the human brain, is too complex to be distilled down into simple, categorized bundles that fit neatly under a few dozen blanket headings to explain all things. There may be a few things that contribute, but none that, on their own, cover the whole messy miracle called love. Conscious and subconscious things form the human psyche, and no one really knows how or why it works. In my opinion, falling in love with someone comes from recognizing something in another human being that others don’t see, and responding to it. This way, humans have the ability to make connections that are unique to themselves and create the love connection. If people didn’t have these ‘types’ they’d never be able to recognize a potential mate and everything would be random. So I think people develop, or have built-in, cues to assist in perpetuating the race.

As for monogamy and the family unit, humans are designed to create and live in that setting, because it’s a system that works. Some animals may have the same system, but for humans, who live longer than most animals, it’s essential to develop over the long haul in a way that nurtures and supports their more complex brain and social system, allowing us to fine-tune and recognize the things we love and respond to in a positive way.  

You make a very good point, Dreambiscuit.