Abstract

Romantic love could be considered as a collection of activities associated with the acquisition and retention of emotions needed to survive and reproduce. These emotions change the individual’s behavioural strategies in a way that will increase the likelihood of achieving these goals. Love may be defined as an emergent property of an ancient cocktail of neuropeptides and neurotransmitters. It appears that lust, attachment and attraction appear to be distinct but intertwined processes in the brain each mediated by its own neurotransmitters and circuits. These circuits feed on and reinforce each other. Sexual craving is mediated by testosterone and oestrogen and has the amygdala as an important centre. Attraction is mediated by hormones of stress and reward including dopamine, norepinephrine cortisol and the serotinergic system and has the nucleus accumbens the ventral tegmental area as key mediators.

He will not know what all but he do know.And as he errs, doting on Hermia’s eyes.So I, admiring of his qualities.Things base and vile, holding no quantity.Love can transpose to form and dignity.Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.Nor hath Love’s mind of any judgment taste.Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste.-William ShakespeareMidsummer Night’s dream (1.1.232-243)

I NTRODUCTION

From an evolutionary perspective romantic love could be considered as a collection of activities associated with the acquisition and retention of emotions needed to survive and reproduce. These emotions change the individual’s behavioral strategies in a way that will increase the likelihood of achieving these goals. The enduring question for science has been that if these evolutionarily determined behaviors have a biologic substrate and correlation with activation of specific brain areas (and hormones)? This review attempts to summarize our current understanding of the neuroendocrinology of romantic love.Seguir leyendo