Scientists have identified three areas of romantic love – early attraction, lust, and attachment. To make love last, romantic partners who are well aware on how the body’s hormones work would give them a clearer advantage over those who don’t. Understanding the area of attachment and the hormones that are involved in this can help romance become more fulfilling in the long run.
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Attachment in Romantic Love
A study published in Nature on March 2005, suggested that sex significantly increased the survival rates of organisms versus those that didn’t have sex in the article “Sex increases the efficacy of natural selection in experimental yeast populations.”
Moreover, in another study in the Journal of Neurophysiology entitled “Reward, Motivation, and Emotion Systems Associated With Early-Stage Intense Romantic Love” which was published in July 2005, anthropologist-researcher Helen Fisher of the Rutgers University noted that: “Romantic love is…definitely more powerful than the sex drive.”
While early attraction and lust among lovers can be sexual, the attachment phase in a romantic love is the ultimate stage that lovers should aim for. A well-managed attachment phase makes lovers calm, secured, contented, and even well-motivated notes Dixie Mayer of the University of Missouri-Saint Louis in The Family Journal’sOctober 2007 issue in the study “Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Their Effects on Relationship Satisfaction.” Love is in fact survival of the species more than pleasure.
Love Hormones Make Love Grow Deeper
Dopamine, vasopressin, and oxytocin are the hormones that make love grow deeper. In a life full of stress due to children, financial worries, career pressures and other concerns, love has a tendency to die. Moreover, several anti-depressant medications can even adversely affect the quality of a romantic relationship.
Dopamine is essential in the maintenance of a romantic relationship says Mayer. Low levels of dopamine can affect the quality of romance making lovers feel less pleasure and less motivation in life.
Vasopressin is important in bonding and is usually associated with the male gender. This hormone affects a male’s people skills and how males react positively to stress. Indirectly, low levels of vasopressin can adversely affect men’s careers especially those that require socialization and pleasant interpersonal skills.
Oxytocin is usually produced in women. This hormone is the female counterpart which is crucial in bonding. It reduces anxiety, increases contentment, and promotes calmness and security when a romantic partner is around.
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Smart Loving for Partners in a Relationship
When lovers reward their partners through a smile, massage, or any other pleasurable experience, the significant other becomes well-motivated and experiences higher levels of learning. This is courtesy of the naturally occurring dopamine. Hence, very supportive lovers can positively affect the productivity of their romantic partners. It likewise makes love grow deeper along with vasopressin and oxytocin.
When female lovers make their men feel good through well-staged seduction and sexual arousal techniques, their romantic partners are more likely to produce considerable amounts of vasopressin. Men achieve lesser stress and improved social skills.
When male lovers massage, caress and bring their female romantic partners to orgasm, women secrete more oxytocins which make them feel calm, secured, fulfilled and well-satisfied in their relationship. Good dispositions can likewise improve career women’s productivity.
Most importantly, when lovers consciously give all or combinations of these actions consistently, their romantic relationships are more likely to last for the long-term.
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Lovers Beware
Dopamine, vasopressin, and oxytocin are naturally occurring yet drug companies have developed synthetic versions of these hormones to treat certain ailments. These can be administered through various means like injection, nasal ingestion, intravenously and other methods. While these hormones can be beneficial when secreted naturally, these can have side effects too when administered synthetically.
Human bodies secrete love hormones for a purpose – survival of the species. When stimulated naturally, their advantages can, in fact, go beyond the loving experience and spill over to improved careers, better social lives, and of course, a better quality of life.
