The ventral tegmental area of the brain signals reward and drive in humans in the early stages of romantic love.
According to Fisher, human courtship and pair bonding usually follow a distinct pattern. When a person first falls in love, everything about their beloved takes on special meaning.
"The car that they drive is different than every other car in the parking lot, the street they live on, what they wear, the music they like, the books they read. Everything about them is special – which by the way is an indication of the dopamine system in the brain.”
Fisher explains that the dopamine rush often leads to an intense focus on the beloved. That, in turn, can lead to the emotional roller coaster ride that is a common feature of romantic love.
“There is intense elation when things are going well, mood swings into horrible despair when things are going poorly. And tremendous energy. You can walk all night and talk until dawn. There are all kind of physiological responses - butterflies in the stomach, a dry mouth when you talk to the person on the phone, intense possessiveness," she says. "In other words, the full constellation of personality traits that are linked with romantic love are special to that particular feeling, and the reward system is part of that experience.”
Fisher offers a straightforward evolutionary reason why the drives to find sex, romance and long-term partnership can be so much more persistent and intense than most other human desires.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25