Chris Li

Instructor Andreea Corona

Linguistics 3C - 3:00 PM

11/20/2022

Love: Chemical and Non-Chemical

What factors drive us to love? Different people will give different answers. Biologists

would explain that humans fall in love because of sexual desire and the biological instinct to

reproduce. Philosophers would say that love completes a person's soul and gives life meaning.

Sociologists assert that loneliness will cause two lonely individuals to fall in love and provide

each other with spiritual comfort. Reasons for love are varied and complicated. Generally, love

can be roughly analyzed from two different perspectives: non-chemical factors and chemical

factors. The non-chemical reasons why people fall in love are numerous. Loyalty, appearance,

and even personal wealth are non-chemical reasons for love. These factors are hard to define and

quantify. Instead of listing all possible non-chemical factors, we can consider what we gain from

falling into a romantic relationship. Moreover, chemical factors, the neuroscientific explanation

for love factors, are rather straightforward and standard. As a result, the answer to the question of

what drives us to love can be explained by analyzing chemical factors in our brains and the

benefits we receive, such as evolutionary advantages and better well-being.

By explaining love through neurology, we can rationalize how the chemicals in people's

brains influence people's decisions and behavior. According to the article “The Neurobiology of

Love,” written by Tobias Esch and George B. Stefano, love is a complex neurobiological

phenomenon. It is seen as a dynamic process that is the product of several components, each of

which is presumably served at different times by a different neural substrate. Dopamine,

oxytocin, and vasopressin are the three primary neurotransmitters that are responsible for

different stages of romantic love.

In “Understanding Dopamine: Love Hormones And The Brain,” BetterHelp Editorial

Team introduces that dopamine is the fundamental neurotransmitter of pleasure in the brain’s

reward system, which plays a significant role in the process of attraction or the beginning of an

intimate relationship. Dopamine-releasing activities encourage the brain to desire and repeat

these behaviors to gain pleasure. When we are at the beginning of developing a romantic

connection with a person with whom we are interested, the level of the hormone dopamine in our

bodies reaches an all-time high. It can well explain why the beginning of love is the most

passionate. To better understand this statement, we can take eating as an example. When we are

hungry and eat fried chicken, we first find it to be quite tasty. Dopamine will continue to be

released, prompting us to consume more. But when we eat more food, we become stuffed, and

fried chicken no longer tastes as delicious as it once did. The appetite is also reduced. Similarly,

as a relationship evolves, it is typical for the flames of desire to dim. But keeping romantic

relationships is not the same as eating fried chicken. We can not casually abandon lovers if our

desire is decreasing.

Luckily, after dopamine declines, other neurochemicals associated with long-term

attachment are produced, such as oxytocin and vasopressin. Oxytocin’s function is to help us to

create trust and relieve stress in our companion. According to the article “Love Is Medicine for

Fear” by Arthur C. Brooks, the author states that oxytocin reduces anxiety and stress by

decreasing the amygdala's sensitivity to external stimuli. In addition to this statement, a crisis of

trust can seriously affect the relationship between two lovers. Sometimes a simple hug can clear

up a misunderstanding. The secretion of oxytocin can prompt people to make intimate behaviors,
such as hugs and kisses. With the help of oxytocin, relationships can be more stable.

Additionally, Esch and Stefano claim that vasopressin, along with oxytocin, is a significant

neurobiological transmitter in love and pair bonding. Sexual stimulation can induce and be

enhanced by vasopressin production directly. By making this claim, I would point out that

vasopressin may keep relationships passionate when it develops. Since mating and love entail

pleasurable feelings and, as a result, cause the release of dopamine and an increase in

sympathetic activity, this is a highly rewarding behavior. The pleasure and reward system in our

brains facilitates these beneficial motivations and behaviors.

The rush of dopamine that people experience makes them feel exalted and lifted. The

increase in oxytocin and vasopressin that is induced by bonding behavior makes people feel even

happier and encourages trust in their lovers. However, only chemical factors can not maintain a

romantic relationship. After the first boost of brain chemicals or primary hormones subsides,

maintaining a relationship with someone we love requires mental or physical benefits.

Brain dopamine may be the trigger of love, but the key to long-term romantic

relationships is that love provides people with evolutionary advantages and improves their well-

being. According to the article “Why Does Love Feel Magical? It’s an Evolutionary Advantage”

by Benjamin Kaveladze, Et al., the authors introduce that love can be considered as a biological

lease agreement and is beneficial for both sides. It holds evolutionary advantages: overcoming

the commitment dilemma and giving a reward. By comparing falling in love and signing a lease,

the authors explain that rather than always striving for a better relationship, humans prefer to

settle for one who is good enough because of love. It helps to prevent the attraction of alternative

possibilities from jeopardizing their beneficial arrangement. As a result, the leasing agreement

that has been signed by both partners offers vital bonds.

 Besides this advantage, love benefits people mentally and physically. In the article “The

Brain on Love,” Diane Ackerman states that people’s interactions with their lovers have a

profound impact on our bodies and minds. Holding the hand of someone you love may reduce

stress, boost the immune system, enhance health, and even reduce the pain of an injury if the

relationship is healthy. Having similar experiences, I realize that Love is a great medicine to cure

the pain of the soul and help young men mature. In contemporary society, most young people’s

mental suffering comes from loneliness and depression. Although living in a city and surrounded

by a significant number of people, young people still feel lonely inside and sometimes need an

immediate emotional response. Single young adults, in particular, may experience depression

with no one to depend on while desperately longing for someone special. Love is a positive

emotion and provides them a place to confess their feelings: happiness, sadness, and anger.

Young people’s loneliness and pain will be comforted and released. Besides, even a failed

relationship can bring psychological growth to young people. Everyone is attached to true Love.

Young people are especially enchanted with their first love. However, not all love is permanent.

Relationships may end for various reasons. In the process, they will learn how to love and how to

devote themselves. Young people may appreciate this fond experience when they grow up.

Love is a simple yet complex emotion. Love is simple because everyone's love has a

similar mechanism under the influence of brain chemicals. People's brains release

neurotransmitters that bring spiritual pleasure and rewards, causing them to fall in love. Love is

complicated because everyone has different reasons and ways of loving. Love is also driven by

genetically encoded evolutionary advantages. The meaning of love has already surpassed the

meaning of continuing genes in traditional cognition. People of the same gender can also be in a
relationship. Love is in human nature. Because people grow between loving and being loved,

therefore, we must dare to pursue and cherish what we love.

Word Count: 1256

 Works Cited

Ackerman, Diane. “The Brain on Love.” The New York Times, Mar. 2012.

Brooks, Arthur C. “Love Is Medicine for Fear.” The Atlantic, July 2020.

Kaveladze, Benjamin, et al. “Why Does Love Feel Magical? It’s an Evolutionary Advantage.”

The Conversation, July 2022.

Tobias Esch, and George B. Stefano. “The Neurobiology of Love.” Neuroendocrinology Letters,

vol. 26, no. 3, May 2005, pp. 175–92.

Understanding Dopamine: Love Hormones and the Brain | BetterHelp. 5 Oct. 2022,

www.betterhelp.com/advice/love/understanding-dopamine-love-hormones-and-the-brain.