Scientists have found that phenylethylamine, or PEA, is a neurotransmitter chemical in the brain that causes you to fall madly in love with someone. It is a natural form of amphetamine that floods the regions of the brain involved in sexual excitement.
Studies show that people who profess high passion for each other have equally high levels of PEA.
"The Alchemy of Love and Lust: How Our Sex Hormones Influence Our Relationships"
ReplyDeleteby Theresa L. Crenshaw:
PEA could well be the visual component of the chemistry of love at first sight. We do not know how sight can cause this response, or how it is processed through our body and brain. We do know the response causes a circulatory surge of PEA.
scientists concur that the effects of PEA last only for about the first three to five years into a relationship...
ReplyDeleteBut thanks mostly to heightened thinking by the frontal lobe of the brain about common interests or shared goals--can actually experience an even greater PEA level later in life than they did in the teenage or college years.
Oxytocin
Before doing any quick calculating about the doom of your own relationship, know that oxytocin is a brain peptide that can flow to the rescue of what otherwise could be a short-lived relationship. It is secreted from the pituitary gland and bathes the brain and reproductive tracts of both women and men. This chemical wash increases our sensitivity to touch and encourages grooming and cuddling in both sexes. It also reduces stress-causing hormones in the body.
Oxytocin is released every time we hold hands or snuggle up close to someone. It bonds us with the people we love most, whether a lover, child, family member or friend...