It's usually hard for people to explain what love is, why it occurs and how lovers choose each other. Some argue that a spark "ran" between them and dubbed love "chemistry", others sincerely believe that everyone is destined to meet their soul mate. However, eminent scientists have a completely different opinion on this matter.
According to Gert ter Horst, conducting many studies on humans is inappropriate, and the manifestation of love should be studied depending on what stage of the relationship the lovers are at the moment. Well-known researcher of romantic relationships, Helen Fisher, agrees with his opinion.
Three-component theory of love
The American psychologist Robert Sternberg created a three-component theory of love. According to her, relationships are able to develop over time and go through the stages of commitment, intimacy and passion.
There are three stages of a romantic relationship:
Being in love. This stage lasts for about six months, accompanied by a high level of passion and stress.
Passionate love. This stage lasts for several years. During this time, the euphoria of lovers is replaced by calmness. There is also a reduction in stress levels. It is believed that cortisol levels normalize at this time. Cortisol is a regulator of carbohydrate metabolism in the body, which is involved in the development of stressful situations. Endocrinologist Luboslav Stark believes that oxytocin and vasopressin play a decisive role here, because they are associated with the formation of long-term relationships.
Friendly love (compassionate love). According to the three-component theory of love, this period is characterized by a decrease in passion and the formation of trusting relationships. Relationships can stay in this phase for decades.
In addition, scientists are also interested in the processes that occur in the human body during a breakup.
For example, Helen Fisher invited people who had recently experienced a breakup to study love. Participants were shown pictures of their ex-lovers in magnetic resonance imaging.
Thus, neurophysiologists have found that this condition leads to the activity of several parts of the brain: the tegmentum of the midbrain, parts of the basal ganglia and the putamen. According to the authors, the emergence of such activity is due to delayed reward, which is associated with the post-breakup feeling of uncertainty that occurs in most people after the breakup of a relationship.
There is also an over-activation of the orbitofrontal cortex, the lower part of the frontal lobe of the brain, which is provoked by the person's desire to modify their behavior and control anger. According to a recent study by Christina Stuessel, after a breakup, there is a decrease in the activity of the same neural networks as during depression. According to many researchers, in the near future it will be possible to artificially regulate love.
Also, thanks to the study of love, scientists have the opportunity to study the nature of psychological disorders more deeply.
Source estet-portal.com
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