Alexis Morris

Mrs. Hensel
English III CP
14 Nov. 2014
The Science behind Physical Attraction

Love is everywhere in small children, in adults and even in animals. But what causes this
physical attraction? Just holding hands with someone you love can alleviate physical pain as well
as stress and fear (Alleyne). For example the wedding ring is worn on the left finger because
there is a vein known as the vena amoris and it is directly connected to the heart (Why Are
Wedding Rings). The science behind physical attraction depends on the psychological aspect of
love, social structures, and chemical reactions in the body.
Scientist have been using MRI scanners to prove that the brain shuts down when seeing
the loved one. If you have ever heard the phrase stupid in love and doubt it, well shocker:
many scientist have proven the phrase to be true, but however; this only last for the first month
or so depending on who you are or who youre with (Fletcher). When being shown the person
you love there are parts of the brain that shuts down and they are: the frontal lobe which controls
ones judgment, the posterior cingulate that controls empathy, the amygdala controlling fear, and
the mid temporal cortex that controls negative emotions (Fletcher). Scientific studies have shown
that a chemical in the brain, dopamine, it is higher in those in love then those who are not. There
are tests that show if you take opioid drugs such as the drug cocaine have a similar effect on
someones dopamine level as well as love (Fletcher). A side effect of rising dopamine levels in

the human body can reduce another chemical, serotonin, which is a key hormone in your bodys
moods and appetite, along with other things (Fletcher).
Scientist specializing in neuroscience have found chemicals that are present in the body
and can be involved when some people are experiencing love (Fletcher). A wide variety of
neurochemicals have been implicated in this mess, including: oxytocin, sex hormones
testosterone and estrogen, dopamine, vasopressin, serotonin, and norepinephrine (Ritchie).
Nerve growth factor is a small secreted protein that is needed for growing, testosterone is a
steroid hormone from the androgen group, estrogen is a compound found in females related to
the menstrual and reproductive cycles, dopamine is the molecule behind our bad behaviors,
norepinephrine is a chemical set off in response to stress, serotonin affects your mood, social
behavior, sleep, and eating habits, oxytocin makes you addicted to someone to help you form a
stronger bond, and vasopressin is a hormone in the long-term commitment stage and is released
after intercourse. When we are falling in love there are three main stages they include lust,
attraction, and attachment (The Science of Love). The first step is lust which has to do with
testosterone and estrogen, the next step is attraction this is when you are truly love-struck, the
third step is attachment this keeps couples together even for them to have or raise children (The
Science of Love). When you combine all these steps more than likely you will find love,
however it is not one hundred percent guaranteed.
A psychologist, Professor Arthur Arun, has been studying the dynamics of falling in love,
he commonly asks his subjects to carry out 3 steps and found that many of his couples felt deeply
attracted after the 34 minute experiment, two of his subjects later on got married (The Science
of Flirting). The steps are to find a complete stranger, then reveal to each other intimate details
about your lives for thirty minutes then stare deeply into each others eyes without talking for

four minutes (The Science of Flirting). It can take between 90 seconds and 4 minutes to decide
if we are fond of someone, however most of this depends upon body language which is 55%, the
tone and speed of ones voice that would be 38%, and only 7% is what they actually say (The
Science of Flirting). A new meta-analysis study conducted at Syracuse University by Professor
Stephanie Ortigue is making a trailblazing study, The Neuroimaging of Love, reveals that
falling in love can obtain not only a similar euphoric feeling as using the drug cocaine, but also
affects intellectual areas of the brain (Adamo). The findings however have beg the question, does
the heart fall in love, or the brain? Thats a tricky question always, says Ortigue (Adamo).
Ortigue says I would say the brain, but the heart is also related because the complex concept of
love is formed by both bottom-up and top-down processes from the brain to the heart and vice
versa. For instance, activation in some parts of the brain can generate stimulations to the heart,
butterflies in the stomach. Some symptoms we sometimes feel as a manifestation of the heart
may sometimes be coming from the brain (Adamo).
Age is a big deal in love, for instance falling in love as a teenager is more intense than the
experience of falling in love as an adult. Researchers have identified pathways in the brain which
light up when teenagers are in love, they also found teenagers seem to experience the attraction
phase more strongly than adults, but have failure to enter the attachment phase which is blame
for the short-term relationship (Your First Love). Teenagers in love spend endless hours
talking, either on the phone or face to face, this intimacy involves openness, sharing and trust, so
it also contributes to maturity, also by becoming close to someone else, it teaches them about
their own identity (Your First Love). Adults in the in a new loving relationship have a lot more
in common with toddlers than you may happen to think (Meyers). In addition to the normal joy
and lust that the first year or so, a new romantic relationship brings, can also bring along

frustration (Meyers). The unpleasant truth is that adults in love are just as good at acting out as
the average toddler found playing in the preschool sandbox, in further studies it reveals a dark
side of dating thats often filled with jealousy, over-dependence, and the want for immediate
gratification, all of which are signs of hateful toddler years (Meyers).
The main influence of love is religion, whether you pray to God, Jesus, Allah, Jehovah,
the sun gods, or something else is entirely between you and that entity. Despite the personal
nature of religion, it is an issue that many couples struggle with on a repeated basis, in an article
recently published by the New York Times, it is estimated that over 58% of all marriages involve
those between two people of different faiths, in addition 18% of all married couples of the same
religion, were originally of different faiths (Harr). There are a number of studies that show
couples of different faiths are more likely to divorce, that theyre more likely to fight and have
different values, however there are an equal number of studies that disprove the same statements
(Harr). One big problem with relationships and physical attraction is ethnic minorities or people
of color, in fact the most determined forms of legal segregation, was the banning of interracial
marriage, and wasnt fully lifted until the last anti-miscegenation laws were took down in 1967
by the Supreme Court ruling in Virginia (what does). Many people use the bible to try to say
interracial marriage is wrong however there is nothing in the bible saying it is wrong to date or
marry a person of a different race, there are a few incidental mentions of race in the Bible, like
for instance that Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do
good who are accustomed to doing evil. Jeremiah 13:23, but there is nothing saying one race is
superior to another, in Numbers 12:1-16 Moses was married to an Ethiopian woman and god was
angry with Aaron and Miriam for criticizing that marriage (what does). Only a long history of
racism, particularly in the U.S., has made some people believe there is something wrong about

dating and marrying outside of ones own race, at one time many states had laws banning
interracial marriages but they were claimed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The science behind physical attraction depends upon the psychological aspect of love,
Social structures in society, and chemical reactions in many people. It is pretty amazing how
your body can tell youre in love to send off the chemicals that are released. Love comes in
different ages, religions, even genders so it cant just be about physical appearance. Physical
attraction isnt just about physical appearance, its about chemistry.

Works Cited
Adamo, Donna. "Syracuse University." Falling in Love Is 'more Scientific than You Think,'
According to New Study by SU Professor. N.p., 18 Oct. 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Alleyne, Richard. "Holding Hands Reduces Pain." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 12
May 0015. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.

Fletcher, Victoria. "Crazy in Love: What Happens in Your Brain When You Really Do Have
Chemistry." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 10 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Harr, Megan. "A Leap Of Faith: The Impact Of Religion On Relationships." Thought Catalog.
N.p., 9 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Meyers, Seth, and Katie Gilbert. "Adults Falling in Love Regress As Toddlers: Impulse
Control." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. N.p., 7 Oct.
2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Ritchie, Kayla. "LOVE ACTUALLY (ITS NEUROSCIENCE)." N.p., 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 12
Nov. 2014.
"The Science of Flirting." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
"The Science of Love." The Science of Love. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.
"What Does the Bible Say About Interracial Marriage and Interracial Dating?" What Does the
Bible Say About Interracial Marriage and Interracial Dating? N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov.
2014.
"Why Are Wedding Rings Worn on the 4th Finger of the Left Hand? - Mervis Diamond Blog."
Mervis Diamond Blog. Mervis Diamond Importers, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
"Your First Love." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.