Love is one of the most basic human needs. Throughout history love has played a fundamental role in our lives. In all human cultures and societies love is a significant part of everyday life. Love encompasses a whole range of positive and powerful emotional and psychological states, from an utmost religious virtue to the deepest personal pleasure, from the strongest platonic relationship to the most committed long-term relationship.
Love is the basis for communication between two people, it is the way humans express their emotions and feelings to each other, it is often reflected in the choice of words used by a person to another, and it can even be seen in the choice of language used by the two people communicating. A major part of how love works in our brains is that it takes the information provided by our sensory organs, such as sight, touch, taste and smell, and converts this information into chemical and electrical signals that the brain can then read. This process is deeply complicated and is obviously very sensitive, but it is also incredibly powerful when it comes to love, because it enables us to communicate with each other by using our brain.
Oxytocin and Dopamine: Just as love is a complex chemical process, so is love itself. Oxytocin is a chemical in the brain that produces oxytocin, which is the hormone that causes romantic love. Oxytocin is a pleasurable neurotransmitter that plays a vital role in our relationships. However, in certain situations, such as when a man and a woman are aroused with the sight of each others naked bodies, the levels of oxytocin produced is much higher than usual. The result is a powerful surge of oxytocin throughout the brain regions that regulate romantic love, making the experience extremely positive and highly pleasurable.
The release of oxytocin creates a sensation of intense deep affection, which is the foundation for most forms of passionate love. When we fall in love we often focus intensely on that feeling rather than on the person. The result is usually either a short lived feeling of deep affection for the object of our affections or a long drawn out feeling of infatuation. This results in the separation of lovers that often results in the break up of that relationship.
Lust: When we fall in love we focus strongly on that feelings and this causes those feelings to be stronger than the actual feelings we are having. In our first few experiences of lust it can seem like the world is going to end and there may even be some remorse involved. However, falling in love allows you to let go of those feelings of lust and it can be well worth it. It allows you to experience feelings of deep affection and other emotions that accompany those feelings of lust. While these feelings may be stronger and longer lasting than your initial feelings of love, they are definitely more enjoyable!
When you enter into a loving relationship, you will be able to allow yourself to experience all of these different kinds of emotion and not just one or two. This will help your relationship strengthen and your bond to your significant other to become stronger over time. Not only do you have a greater likelihood of success at creating a long-term intimate relationship, but you have a greater likelihood of creating a successful long lasting friendship as well. Falling in love does take effort, and you will find that once you enter into a relationship, you have much more control over it as well as being in a much better place for love to grow.