Romantic Love (original) (raw)
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Neural correlates of long-term intense romantic love
Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 2012
The present study examined the neural correlates of long-term intense romantic love using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Ten women and 7 men married an average of 21.4 years underwent fMRI while viewing facial images of their partner. Control images included a highly familiar acquaintance; a close, long-term friend; and a low-familiar person. Effects specific to the intensely loved, long-term partner were found in: (i) areas of the dopamine-rich reward and basal ganglia system, such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and dorsal striatum, consistent with results from early-stage romantic love studies; and (ii) several regions implicated in maternal attachment, such as the globus pallidus (GP), substantia nigra, Raphe nucleus, thalamus, insular cortex, anterior cingulate and posterior cingulate. Correlations of neural activity in regions of interest with widely used questionnaires showed: (i) VTA and caudate responses correlated with romantic love scores and inclusion ...
Psychiatria Danubina , 2014
Romantic love is a " universal… or an universal " human phenomenon. Recently, love, romantic love, also became a theme of interest for scientists. The current research is seeking an explanation to clarify the brain mechanisms that are responsible for love behavior and feelings. Until recently, the study of love has been mainly the field of psychology. The biology of love originates in the primitive parts of brain that eolved long before the cerebral cortex. Discoveries in neuroscience have led to the identification of specific areas, facilities, brain circuits that are involved in the genesis of love. However, love remained a research field mainly for psychologists, despite the massive increase in neuroscientific research. In the last few decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of studies on the neuronal corelates of love, through the use of neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, PET) and in the studies that have investigated the action of the neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine systems.
Romantic love and behavioral activation system sensitivity to a loved one
Behavioral Sciences, 2023
Research investigating the mechanisms that contribute to romantic love is in its infancy. The behavioral activation system is one biopsychological system that has been demonstrated to play a role in several motivational outcomes. This study was the first to investigate romantic love and the behavioral activation system. In study 1, the Behavioral Activation System-Sensitivity to a Loved One (BAS-SLO) Scale was validated in a sample of 1556 partnered young adults experiencing romantic love. In study 2, hierarchical linear regression was used to identify BAS-SLO Scale associations with the intensity of romantic love in a subsample of 812 partnered young adults experiencing romantic love for two years or less. The BAS-SLO Scale explained 8.89% of the variance in the intensity of romantic love. Subject to further validation and testing, the BAS-SLO Scale may be useful in future neuroimaging and psychological studies. The findings are considered in terms of the mechanisms and evolutionary history of romantic love.