HORMONES IN THE LOVING PROCESS

Helen Fisher of Rutgers University in the States has proposed 3 stages of love – lust, attraction and attachment. Each stage might be driven by different hormones and chemicals.

·                  In the first phase of loving process, the lust, we find testosterone.

Falling in love decreases men's testosterone levels while it increasing women's testosterone levels. It is speculated that these changes in testosterone result in the temporary reduction of differences in behavior between the sexes. It has been found that when the testosterone and endorphins in the ejaculated semen meet the cervical wall after sexual intercourse, females receive a spike in testosterone, endorphin, and oxytocin levels, and males after orgasm during copulation experience an increase in endorphins and a marked increase in oxytocin levels. This adds to the hospitable physiological environment in the female internal reproductive tract for conceiving, and later for nurturing the concept in the pre-embryonic stages, and stimulates feelings of love, desire, and paternal care in the male (this is the only time male oxytocin levels rival a female's).

·                    The second period, the attraction, is the amazing time when you are truly love-struck. Scientists think that three main neurotransmitters are involved in this stage; adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin.

The initial stages of falling for someone activate your stress response, increasing your blood levels of adrenalin and cortisol. This has the effect that when you suddenly bump into your new love, you start to sweat, your heart races and your mouth goes dry.

Helen Fisher discovered newly ‘love struck’ couples have high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. This chemical stimulates ‘desire and reward’ by triggering an intense rush of pleasure. It has the same effect on the brain as taking cocaine!  

Fisher suggests “couples often show the signs of surging dopamine: increased energy, less need for sleep or food, focused attention and exquisite delight in smallest details of this novel relationship” .

Finally, serotonin is one of love's most important chemicals that may explain why your new lover keeps popping into your thoughts when you’re falling in love.

·                  The last stage is attachment. It is the bond that keeps couples together longs enough for them to have and raise children. Scientists think there might be two major hormones involved; oxytocin and vasopressin.

  Oxytocin is a powerful hormone released by men and women during orgasm. It is also called the cuddle hormone. And it probably deepens the feelings of attachment and makes couples feel much closer to one another after they have had sex.

Vasopressin is another important hormone in the long-term commitment stage and is released after sex. It is also called anti-diuretic hormone. And it works with your kidneys to control thirst. Its potential role in long-term relationships was discovered when scientists looked at the prairie vole.

 Prairie voles indulge in far more sex than is strictly necessary for the purposes of reproduction. They also – like humans - form fairly stable pair-bonds. When male prairie voles were given a drug that suppresses the effect of vasopressin, the bond with their partner deteriorated immediately as they lost their devotion and failed to protect their partner from new suitors.