The Chemistry of Falling in Love: Can Love Be Seen on a Brain Scan?
Written by Minttu Kuusisto
The writer is a chemistry student at the University of Helsinki. This article is based on an article by Irene Andersson that appeared in the chemistry journal Kemia from 4/2017. The article appears in the Student Paper of the University of Iceland as a part of a collaboration between the paper and Varsinaissuomalainen, a student paper in Finland. the article first appeared in Finnish (Rakastumisen kemiaa) in their 1st issue of 2020.
Falling in love is a neurochemical process in which a hormonal chain reaction can make even a total stranger look perfect to you. Dopamine, noradrenaline, and endorphins make a person in love feel euphoric, which can be seen on brain scans, too: the brain scans of someone who has recently fallen in love are reminiscent of the scans of someone under the influence of morphine or a woman who has just given birth. We may be oblivious, but our bodies’ chemical neurotransmitters are working on finding us partners. Your brain is trying to find you a partner whose immune system is the opposite of yours by comparing pheromone particles. Thus, a genetically appropriate partner smells good to you and is perceived as attractive. The cliché traits often considered universally attractive include a symmetric face and hourglass body shape for women and broad shoulders combined with narrower hips for men.
Graphics / Margrét Aðalheiður Önnu Þorgeirsdóttir
People can roughly be split into two main categories, serotonin-type and dopamine-type, because the balancing well-being hormones and stress hormones have an effect on our behavior. When choosing a partner, we favor our type of human being. If you love suspense, are creative, and are constantly looking for something new, you belong to the dopamine type. In turn, serotonin-type individuals are calm, safe, and respectful of tradition. Once someone of your own type has been found, the brain’s hypothalamus encourages you to pursue a sexual relationship with that person. Finding a partner is most likely during ovulation, when men find women most attractive without realizing it.
In the romantic newlywed stage, logical reasoning is disrupted as the frontal lobe of the brain slows down, making the new partner seem perfect. The amygdala also slows down, which can make that person fearless. Along with feelings of fear, anger, sadness and depression dissipate, meaning that falling in love can be said to be good for mental health! The product of the hormonal chain reaction, dopamine, focuses your loving attention on your partner’s positive traits, ignoring the negative ones. Indeed, dopamine promotes wakefulness and remembrance of new stimuli, which can lead to insomnia in love.
Neurochemical changes evaporate over the course of a year and a half, after which there are two options for what happens next: either oxytocin creates feelings of affection and the relationship continues, or the hormonal chain reaction comes to a stop, ending the relationship. If no neurochemical balance is found during the year and a half, both halves of the couple face feelings of disappointment and emptiness. The body then demands a new dose of dopamine, just like a drug addict demands another hit. People who are addicted to dopamine have fallen in love with the feeling of falling in love; ergo, they aim to repeatedly experience how it feels to be newly in love. As a result, their romantic relationships are short-lived. In addition to love, dopamine addiction can cause addiction to alcohol, exercise, and even work.
Falling in love is a chemical process but also a stress condition. In the early stages of being in love, the body secretes 40% more of the stress hormone cortisol than before, which helps form an attachment to the new partner. A man who has fallen in love is more peaceful because his body produces 40% less testosterone than at other times. In turn, secretion of testosterone doubles for women, making them more adaptable. Stress conditions and altered sex hormone levels help the couple concentrate on each other. Unfortunately, finding a genetically suitable partner doesn’t guarantee smooth coexistence.
As hormones and neurotransmitters undergo several changes as someone is falling in love, it is hard to condense the neurochemical process of falling in love into a single love potion. Over the course of history, people have tried using special ingredients, like chocolate or cinnamon, for falling in love, but science hasn’t found any evidence that they’re effective. Even though there’s no cocktail for falling in love, there might be some means to further the process. Sharing an exciting experience, like riding a rollercoaster or watching a horror movie together, can encourage the process of falling in love. When the heart rate rises in a safe environment, the allure of the other person can rise as well. If you’re not necessarily a looker but want to fall in love, spring and summer are the optimal times for meeting people because there’s more ultraviolet radiation from the sun, which increases the production of beta-endorphins. Beta-endorphins provoke feelings of satisfaction. The visible light from solar radiation in turn speeds up the hormonal chain reaction and the process of falling in love by increasing the production of serotonin.
Whimsical chemical tips: How can you find a genetically appropriate partner?
1) If you have already found a potential partner you find attractive, make sure that your immune systems are compatible by asking the candidate to run with you. After a sweaty round, sneak a sniff of the candidate’s shirt. This tip only helps women, because men don’t subconsciously choose their partners by smell.
2) Spend time with the potential partner in exciting situations. Sharing exciting or scary experiences can bring you closer together.
3) Try to interact with the potential partner in the spring and summer, when production of beta-endorphins and serotonin are on your side.