Unexplainable matters of the heart such as falling in love and creating chemistry in a relationship have proved to be baffling topics for modern scientists. Currently, there is an increased effort to perform research experiments that study how our brain and bodies work together to concoct such feelings. Researchers have found that “oxytocin, a chemical that fosters the bond between mothers and children, probably helps fuel romantic love as well” (Brownlee 295). In addition, “brain chemicals that blunt pain and induce feelings of euphoria may also make people feel good in the company of lovers” (Brownlee 295). Have we been wrong all these years to suppose that falling in love is just a natural occurrence? We’ve seen movies and read books of men and women going to a witch or wizard in the hopes of obtaining a “love potion” that is specifically targeted for their object of affection. According to the information above, if we are able to bottle such chemicals as oxytocin, we could also produce the same results as any love potion.
Another chemical that can help explain attraction between two people is dopamine. At the State University of New York, researchers asked a group of young adults who had recently fallen in love to have their brains scanned as they were shown pictures of their significant others. What they found was that “the brain areas that lighted up were precisely those known to be rich in [the] powerful ‘feel-good’ chemical, dopamine. Dopamine is the key chemical in the brain's reward system, a network of cells that is associated with pleasure” (Foreman). When shown photos of members of the opposite sex that the researchers had randomly selected, the brain areas containing dopamine failed to show any response. Interestingly enough, this chemical is also known to be linked with feelings of addiction. This finding could possibly explain why seeing a picture of the participants’ loved one made their brain area light up—not only does that person bring joy to their lives, but s/he is also their own personal drug that they can’t help but be obsessed with.
People will go to great lengths to find their ideal match. Some have their most trusted friends set them up on blind dates, while others prefer to submit their profiles to online dating sites such as Match.com and eHarmony, hoping to encounter someone with similar interests. But just how far are they willing to go? For $2,000 and a swab of your spit, a Florida matchmaking company claims they will be able to find that one special person who you will have perfect physical chemistry with. Their unique technology “uses your DNA to find others with a natural odor you'll love, with whom you'd have healthier children, a more satisfying sex life and more" (Pesce). This “chemistry” they are advertising is “based on the biological need to breed with people who have very different immune system genes, which makes robust, healthy babies” (Pesce). If you can roll out the cash, forget about having to put yourself through one horrifying first date after another—just send out your DNA for testing, sit back, and wait for the results!
Since our days in grade school, we’ve been able to observe the fact that boys and girls are different. Rosie Boycott, a British journalist, writes, “In the 1970s, I saw feminist girlfriends bringing up children and religiously give the girl a truck to play with, and try to get the boy to like the color pink. It never worked. Little girls and boys had very different ideas about what they wanted to play with and what colors they liked” (McCarthy). Studies attribute this to the claim that “men and women show differences in behavior because their brains are physically distinct organs” (McCarthy). This contrast in views based on gender also plays a role in relationship ideals. A chemical called vasopressin could explain why forbidden sex is appealing to more men than women by examining prairie voles. If the rodent is producing stress hormones, it impedes with the oxytocin entering the brain, “keeping a female vole from bonding, and perhaps preventing most women from finding danger sexually exciting. Vasopressin, in contrast, appears to work better in the presence of certain stress hormones, possibly making danger an aphrodisiac for many males” (Brownlee 297). But can the study of voles truly explain human behavior? Voles don’t have human capabilities such as emotions, customs, family expectations, and religions to worry about. In addition, what about contradicting information in that human women can also be turned on by elicit behavior? These questions remain unanswered if we only seek insight through the sciences. While science can’t provide all of the answers to our burning romantic questions, we are certainly getting closer with every passing day.
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