July 4, 2012
Love is in the Brain – Not the Heart
These types of research findings make me want to go back to school and study neurology!
In the latest brain-map research, scientists have actually identified the areas in which brain activity is most prominent when love is in the air — and the mind.
By analyzing results from 20 studies, Jim Pfaus, a professor of psychology at Concordia University, developed a complete map of how love and desire relate to brain activity.
According to Science Daily:
“Love and sexual desire activate different areas of the striatum. The area activated by sexual desire is usually activated by things that are inherently pleasurable, such as sex or food. The area activated by love is involved in the process of conditioning by which things paired with reward or pleasure are given inherent value. That is, as feelings of sexual desire develop into love, they are processed in a different place in the striatum.”
Pfaus explains that love is partically derived from desire. “Love is actually a habit that is formed from sexual desire as desire is rewarded. It works the same way in the brain as when people become addicted to drugs.”
