Love- scientific point of view?

neonspectraltoast · Jul 13, 2009

To me, it being a mechanism would not cheapen the experience. If this is what happens to give us our being, then I don't see how that would cheapen anything or make love any less real. I just see it as the means in which love is produced. In the end, science just DESCRIBES what happens it does not EXPLAIN it. These chemicals still has this effect on us. The very nature of it is very real
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I agree. In order to really explain love, you have to explain everything. How the universe actually began and what not. It is a force that binds chemicals together, for sure. We perceive all the beauty of it. I think it's an inevitable function of the universe.

Boogie_Boy · Jul 15, 2009

political squaw said:

What you think? may be looking at love from this perspective could help in dealing with the *suffering part* of it? heh
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Love (scientific view)

MRI scan images highlighting the areas of the brain involved in feeling love.

From a biological perspective, love is a feeling of elation produced by a combination of hormones released by specific parts of the brain. Scientists in recent years have studied the human brain and its role in producing the feeling of “falling in love,” evidenced by physiological responses such as shortness of breath, lightheadedness, increased heart rate, and even sexual arousal.

The hormones released

The hormones which participate in the feeling of elation include pheromones, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, the combination of which gives the person a feeling similar to that produced by amphetamines. They stimulate the brain's pleasure center, which includes the caudate area and the ventral tegmental. The caudate is involved in cravings, and it signals the ventral tegmental to produce the dopamine. Dopamine is a powerful neurotransmitter that affects pleasure and motivation. Serotonin gives the person in love a sense of obsessive-compulsiveness, which may explain why he cannot think of anyone or anything else. The other hormones produce side-effects such as an increased heart rate, loss of appetite and sleep, and intense feeling of excitement, all identified signs of “falling in love” or attraction. Studies have shown that this stage generally lasts for one and a half to three years.
When dopamine floods the brain, the production of testosterone is triggered. Testosterone is known to be responsible for the sex drive in both men and women. This stage is identified as “lust,” and is defined as the initial passionate sexual desire that promotes mating. Sections of the brain identified to be active during this stage include the hypothalamus, which controls drives such as hunger and thirst, and the amygdala, which handles arousal. The lust stage lasts for just a few weeks or months.
While these two stages are considered temporary, there should be a level that would enable long-term relationships. This stage is known as attachment, which is generally based on commitments such as marriage and children, or mutual interests. Hormones identified to be related to attachment include oxytocin, which triggers a sense of bonding in the female brain, and vasopressin, which incites aggression towards others in males. Oxytocin is also shown to increase trust and reduce fear.
The evolutionary need to love

Researchers had wondered why out of all mammals only humans exhibit this characteristic need to fall in love, alongside other basic human functions such as thirst and hunger. It has been suggested that this need evolved as a kind of test for potential mates, that is, if the person in question is capable of falling in love, he or she is fit enough to be a good parent and pass the genes to the next generation.
In a study evaluating the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) brain scans of people who have recently fallen in love, it was shown that there is a difference in males and females with regard to the sections of the brain responsive when the subjects were shown photos of their current partners. The males had more activity in the region that integrates visual stimuli, while the females had more activity in the regions operating memories. An anthropological explanation is that a male has an evolutionary mission to plant his seed, and it would not possible if he cannot justify the fertility of his potential mate. With regard to females, scientists theorize that studying a man's behavior will help a female decide if the man is a reliable mate and a good father, which is why she needs to rely on her memories to derive such judgments.

http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Love_(scientific_view)
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Bada bing!!! This is what "love" is. You see? Science is the answer to everything. Science shows us the way once again!!!!!

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Love- scientific point of view?

neonspectraltoast Visitor

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Love- scientific point of view?

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