Hello everybody!

I´m Pamela and today I’m excited to talk you all about the topic I choose “the
neuroscience of love”, I chose this topic because I think it´s interesting understand how our
brain works when we´re in love or processing attraction.
Let´s begin defining what´s neuroscience and what’s love:
Neuroscience: is an interdisciplinary science which studies the nervous system, what it does and
its structure.
Love: is a feeling of affection and attraction that completes us, makes us happy and gives us
energy to live together.
But also I have to say the concept of love varies depending the point of view of each person,
author, history and culture.
Now, the neuroscience of love is divided on 3 main aspects:
Attraction, romantic love and attachment.
 Attraction:
The attraction is influenced by the hormones estrogen and testosterone, and the cortisol
increases its levels. Naturally, we feel the need to search for a couple to reproduce.
When we feel physically attracted by somebody 4 regions of the brain are activated:
The nucleus accumbens Amygdala
Septum Prefrontal cortex
This 4 activate the hypothalamus, the center of reactions at an emotional level causing
activation and euphoria.
There are 6 types of attraction:
1. Romantic attraction: it is based on the desire to establish a romantic relationship with
other person. It is emotional and deep.
2. Friendship attraction: emerge with the desire of sharing moments with a person we
consider a friend.
3. Physical or sexual attraction: is a mix between sexuality, the need of feeling close and
physical contact.
4. sentimental attraction: it´s lookalike to the romantic attraction, but in this one the feelings
doesn’t have to be specifically romantic, this could be developed on any kind of
relationship.
5. sensual or sensory attraction: has to do with physical contact, but doesn´t necessarily
imply a sexual relationship, but rather a relationship of closeness and proximity.
6. intellectual attraction: consists of the desire to want to get to know someone
intellectually, what a person thinks, opines and the knowledge it has.
 Falling in love:
When the attraction turns on something bigger it become on love.
Falling in love is associated with various brain biochemical processes involving, above all,
neurotransmitters, neuromodulators and hormones. While the first two derive from the presence
of neurons, hormones are substances secreted by other organs and tissues.
The dopamine is the main neurotransmitter on this part, causes the pleasurable sensation of
falling in love and activates different parts of the brain to provoke various physiological
reactions, this parts are the right ventral tegmental area and the right caudate nucleus.
We become more impulsive and our reality and perspective is affected, creating a new one
where our beloved stand out. Some authors describe being in love like some kind of madness,
due to all the changes and things that makes us feel, a double-edged sword.
I know we all heard at least once the phrase: love is like a drug, and it´s kind of true because the
receptors activated when someone consume drugs are the same that are activated when falling in
love and the reward system makes us addicts too, this is why when we don´t have that love
anymore or we are not liked by the person we´d love to, we feel something is missing, because
our brain gets used to the dopamine generated and misses the feeling of euphoria.
Now, maybe you´re wondering what happen when we keep on a relationship with someone for a
long long time? Well, the effects of dopamine decrease until get established, that´s when we feel
it´s not the same and that something has change, but in reality we are just not feeling that
euphoria and adrenaline like the first time.
Here is where the attachment join.

 Attachment:
The attachment is an affective relationship we all establish with determined people, is deep,
intimate and quite important.
It is regulated by the neurotransmitters: oxytocin and vasopressin, the first one is related to
affection, bonds and peace, the second one is linked to behaviour that generates long-term
monogamous relationships.
Attachment is present on our lives since we are born, being our parents the firsts and more
important bonds we have, attachment makes us feel safe and helps to create a deep connexion
with people so, on this way we don´t have to depend only on the euphoria that some reactions
trigger on us.
There are 4 types of attachment:
1. Secure attachment: the person feels loved, accepted and valued, the person knows the bond
he/she has is safe.
2. Anxious attachment: there is a lot of insecurity on this bond, the person feels unsafe and
exist inconsistency on behaviours generating 2 opposite parts creating confusion.
3. Avoidant attachment: the person has assumed he/she can´t trust on the bond he/she has,
causing insecurity and creating an extremely self-sufficiency.
4. Disorganized attachment: is a mix between anxious and avoidant attachment, the person
shows contradictory behaviours.