Lover’s High: The Neuroscience of Love and Love Addiction

Few human experiences have the power to remind us that we belong to our hearts, dissolve the deepest indifference, and transcend the boundaries of civilizations and time. Love, one of the most profound human emotions, takes on new significance when examined scientifically. When taken out of the hands of a poet and put into those of a neuroscientist, love reveals an entirely new world of meaning. From early butterflies to all-consuming desire, the brain quietly works with the heart through every stage of love. The neuroscience of love involves a complex interplay of neural processes. When an individual falls in love, various brain regions activate, including those responsible for releasing dopamine–the “feel good hormone”–and engaging the brain’s reward circuits. Together, these processes generate physical and emotional responses: the flush on a lover’s cheeks, the steady increase of their heart rate, the perspiration dampening their palms, and the overwhelming emotions associated with falling in love. However, the same neural mechanisms driving love can also reveal a darker side–one that shifts from the sweet sensations associated with love to something resembling addiction. “Love addiction” refers to the pathological obsession that consumes an individual when love transforms from a healthy emotion to a compulsive fixation. As the sensation of love shifts into obsession, the brain follows suit.