Love in the Brain

1396 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The evolutionary theory chapter 2 psychology

Love in the Brain

Does brain equal behavior? Some people have argued that they have difficulty saying it does because they find it hard to believe that our individual, tangible brain controls emotions that many consider to be intangible, such as being in love. This paper will discuss the role that the brain actually plays in love- why we are attracted to certain people, why we feel the way we do when we are around them, and whether or not this is enough to say that in the case of love, brain does equal behavior.

The first stage of romantic love begins with attraction. Whether you have been best friends for a long time or you just met the person, you begin your romantic relationship when there is that feeling of attraction. But why are we attracted to some people and not to others? Some research and experimentation suggests that pheromones play a role in attraction ((1), (2), (3), (4)). Although the existence of pheromones in humans and the method by which individuals detect them is still under debate and requires further research, a study by Stern and McClintock on pheromones in women's underarm secretion gives the most solid evidence for the existence of human pheromones ((5)). It has been hypothesized that the brain detects these pheromones through an organ known as the vomeronasal organ (VNO), by receptors, or by the terminal nerve in the nostrils ((5)). Despite the fact that pheromones and how they are detected in humans is controversial, it has been suggested that selectivity for certain pheromones might explain why we are only attracted to certain people ((6)).

Research agrees, however, that whether or not pheromones exist, they are not the only reason we are attracted to an individual. Other facto...

... middle of paper ...

...at's in a name? Bioscience. July 1998: 505-511.

6) Love Chemistry: New studies analyze love's effects

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/love000707.html

7) Mating and Temperament

http://keirsey.com/pygmalion/couples.html

8) What is chemistry and chemicals in love relationships

http://www.cyberparent.com/love/chem1.htm

9) Chemicals

http://dubinserver.colorado.edu/prj/swef02/references.html

10) Love in the Brain

http://www.sensualism.com/love/

11) BBC News- Health- How the brain registers love

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/820857.stm

12) My search for love and wisdom in the brain by Marian Diamond

http://www.newhorizons.org/neuro/diamond_wisdom.htm

13) Bower, Bruce. Brain faces up to fear, social signs. Science News. Dec 1994: 406.

14) Biology of Love

http://www.primal.es/primal/books/janov/biologyoflove.htm

Show More
Related

  • Book Report on Head Case by Sarah Aronson

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    Frank’s Parents: Frank’s parents take countless hours each day helping Frank and making sure that he has anything he needs. They must learn to adapt to a selfless life of putting Frank’s needs before their own. Although this is often difficult and frustrating, they eventually come together as a family to make the best of their situation.

    Read More

  • “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples

    1433 Words  | 3 Pages

    Myers, David G. “Chapter 14: Social Psychology.” Psychology. 10th ed. New York, NY US: Worth

    Read More

  • Love the Right Chemistry by Anastasia Toufexis

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    The article '' love: the right chemistry'' by Anastasia Toufexis efforts to explain the concept of love from a scientific aspect in which an amateur will understand. Briefly this essay explains and describe in a scientific way how people's stimulation of the body works when you're falling in love. The new scientific researches have given the answer through human physiology how genes behave when your feelings for example get swept away. The justification for this is explained by how the brain gets flooded by chemicals. The author expresses in one point that love isn't just a nonsense behavior nor a feeling that exhibits similar properties as of a narcotic drug. This is brought about by an organized chemical chain who controls different depending on the individual. A simple action such as a deep look into someone's eyes can start the simulation in the body that an increased production of hand sweat will start. The tingly feeling inside your body is a result of a scientific delineation which makes the concept of love more concretely and more factually mainly for researchers and the wide...

    Read More

  • Bombardier: International Marketing Involvement

    632 Words  | 2 Pages

    As per research Bombardier has already been investing heavily to modify its products accordingly to meet the standard of global economy. To increase their procedures, they have joint various strategic alliances with businesses and formed several joint ventures. Bombardier has formed multiple alliances with different companies throughout the world, to ensure steady growth and sales. It has many engineering and manufacturing sites in many countries. Bombardier succeeded to expand its operations in: Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America and South America. In order to successfully strive in growing markets,

    Read More

  • The Spanish American War

    883 Words  | 2 Pages

    Introduction The Spanish American War marked the emergence of the United States of America as a world power. The war which lasted only 10 weeks between April and August of 1898 took place over the liberation of Cuba. In the course of the war the U.S. won Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippine Islands. A large aspect to the begining of the war was the explosion and sinking of the Maine on February 15 1898 at 9:30 PM in Havana Harbor. 260 American naval personnel where killed or wounded. The USS Maine was the second "second class" battle ship constructed for the U.S. Navy. It took almost nine years to complete three year took waiting for armor. The USS Maine was at the time the largest ship to be built in a U.S. Navy yard. The USS Maine arrived in the Havana harbor in Cuba on Jan. 24 of 1898. The USS Manie was sent to Cuba in response to a small protest by Spanish officers. The ship was under the command of Captian Charles Sigsbee.

    Read More

  • Comparing Adlerian Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Solution Focused Brief Therapy

    3630 Words  | 8 Pages

    Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., & Wegner, D. M. (2010). Psychology. (2nd ed., p. 600). New York: Worth Pub.

    Read More

  • The Spanish American War

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    Spain was conquering territories all around the world. Although one made the United States more nervous than the rest; Cuba. The United States feared spain controlling a territory so close to home. It was clear it was not the best idea that a Eastern country controlled something so close, so they kept a close eye on it. Once they realize their differences United States discharged a battleship from the Great White Fleet to Cuba, the U.S.S. Maine. Once the maine arrived there was a few more conflicts between the two countries. After 2 weeks of arriving in Havana Harbor in Cuba, The Maine was mysteriously destroyed by an explosion. As soon as the Yellow press was informed they forced the thought of the explosion being an act of terrorism. This is supported in “Document A: New York Journal”. The New York Journa...

    Read More

  • Essay on Peter the Great

    1550 Words  | 4 Pages

    Peter was only ten years old when the Kremlin saw an open and violent struggle of power between the Naryshkins and Miloslavskys. He had witnessed killings including his mother’s former guardian. These vicious and unnecessary killings created a deep hatred in Peter for the streltsy and revulsion against the Kremlin and its politics. Peter had spent the next seven years in the village of Preobrazhenskoe and his mother whom now served as a head of state. Peter then used his own devices to familiarize himself which in fact were military matters and Western technology. His mother’s death in 1694 and Ivan the Terrible’s death in 1696 made Peter the sole ruler of Russia. (Gupta, 2006) Despite the fact that he had no formal or complete education, Peter was beyond his years physically and mentally. He gained knowledge from mostly foreigners when it came to technical skills who worked for Russian service that had lived nearby. He spent a majority of his time in the German quarter in Moscow learning from the scholars from the German University. (Hutchinson, 2011) A new revolt of the streltsy took place in...

    Read More

  • Peromones Research Paper

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pheromones affect the central nervous system in two different ways. One of which causes an immediate behavioral response upon reception. The second has a delayed effect on behavior. Chemical stimuli initiating immediate behavioral responses are termed releasers while those, which take time for responses to occur, are referred to as primers. Chemically identified releaser hormones are of thr...

    Read More

  • The Spanish-American War

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...as encouraged by citizens of the United States for many reasons. The main reason was yellow journalism which blew facts out of proportion to gain the anger, sympathy, and empathy of Americans to make money. By supplying the Americans with such information they gained more readers and profit and fueled the war. Cubans held in reconstruction camps and killed angered the Americans and they demanded action to aid the suffering Cubans. The exploding of the Maine was published in the newspaper and it blamed the attack on the Spaniards saying they didn’t like American troops so close to what was theirs. After the war was over and done with the possibility of Cubans attacking to gain support or a malfunction was considered. The Maine explosion was what provided the reason to send in troops but yellow journalism fueled the desire to fight and engage the Spaniards in battle.

    Read More

  • The Hoover Dam

    1748 Words  | 4 Pages

    The use of turbines from dams to provide power was a brilliant idea until water levels started running lower than normal. The water waste from humanity is directly contributing to portions of it, aside from drought conditions affected by pollution, widespread fires battled, and more adds to the depletion thereof. When humanity is relying on power provided from dams to handle the demand, they are essentially relying on the assumption that water levels will always be there to provide it. The Hoover Dam provides power to the southwestern portion of the USA that has a large number of people.

    Read More

  • Biological and Psychoanalytic Perspectives in Psychology

    1625 Words  | 4 Pages

    The biological perspective examines how brain processes and other bodily functions regulate behaviour. It emphasizes that the brain and nervous system are central to understanding behaviour, thought, and emotion. It is believed that thoughts and emotions have a physical basis in the brain. Electrical impulses zoom throughout the brain’s cells, releasing chemical substances that enable us to think, feel, and behave. René Descartes (1596–1650) wrote an influential book (De Homine [On Man]) in which he tried to explain how the behaviour of animals, and to some extent the behaviour of humans, could be like t...

    Read More

  • Advantages And Alternatives: Pros And Cons Of Alternative Energy

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hydro power is one of many examples of alternative energy source. Hydro power is producing energy by moving

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Climate Change

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fossil fuels are known as non-renewable resources; the amount in the Earth is limited. On the other hand, renewable sources of energy, like solar and wind, are those that will not be depleted despite their continued use. However, solar energy is difficult to harness and wind energy is not very efficient. The clear choice of renewable energy is water. The Earth has plenty of water to use for power. After all, it is because of its great quantity of water that Earth is nicknamed the “blue planet.” Hydropower is entirely renewable because it is driven by the natural Water Cycle. Lakes and rivers that are used for hydropower will not simply run out because they are constantly being refilled by rainwater. In addition to being renewable, hydropower is superior to other energy sources because it is completely clean of carbon emissions. Once fully functional, dams power themselves and give off no excess gases. Power plants burn coal and pour unthinkable amounts of greenhouse gases into air. Hydroelectric power is a clean, renewable source of

    Read More

  • Frank’s Transformation in Bernard Malamud’s The Assistant

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    Morris’ is known to be honest, thoughtful, charitable, and compassionate in this novel. His character made him a good example for everyone especially for Frank in this novel. His good deeds influenced Fran...

    Read More

More about Love in the Brain

Open Document