I've read a book which recommended by a good friend of mine claims that love is actually attributable to some specific chemicals and brain circuits working in specific sites of the brain. That's pretty true as brain produces copious amount of dopamine and norepinephrine, it makes you feel that you are on drugs or something. It’s when you feel loved and adored, your hormones push blood into your cheeks and make you feel “glowing” and radiates warmth.
Love can be a wonderful roller coaster ride and it happens unexpectedly for most people. The feelings come from the primitive part of the brain known as the cerebral cortex, gray matter and overpower the rational thinking part which making lovers behave in irrational ways. Such behaviors have been linked to the combination of the low serotonin level and high oxytocin level. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that gives us heightened feelings of awareness, sensitivity to our surrounding and an overall feeling of well-being. Depression and eating disorder are also associated with low level of serotonin. Women naturally have around 30% more oxytocin than men and hence, combination with the lower level of serotonin is actually very much self explainable on why woman are more inclined to become “crazy” about someone and even intensely obsessive. By now you should know why women tend to overeat and also emotionally unstable when they are in love.
In a new relationship, men fall deeply in women and that the high level of oxytocin level that gives them a warm, fuzzy feeling we have for that person. The more oxytocin is produced, the more nurturing they will be and the more deeply they will bond with someone. Oxytocin rises jus as quickl as they hear the name, listen to song connected to her and smell the similar fragrance (now you know why even those expensive perfumes have a high market demand).In the early stage of “falling-in-love phase”, men’s testosterone level is usually lower and tends to have a higher oxytocin level that make the bonding process to be quicker. This turns men to be softer gentler and more easygoing. In the same time, women’s testosterone level rise with excitement and confidence, hence hornier. Consequently, giving an illusion that male and female sex drives must be the same. However, when this “shagathon” period ends (usually 3-9 months in the new relationship) women’s sex drive return to the “default position”. This leaving the man with the idea that she’s gone off sex and giving the woman an impression that he’s sex maniac.. Many relationships ends at this very particular stage.
Women showed more activity in the caudate nucleus ( an are in brain associated with memory, emotion and attention), caudate septum which also called the ‘pleasure center”, and the posterior parietal cortex ( which involved in production of mental images and memory recall). Men on the other hand show more activity in the visual cortex and visual processing areas, including the one area responsible for sexual arousal. This is partly why man falls in love faster than a woman does. They are more visually motivated and immediate signals are sent to activate an instant hormone surge. Hormones then can overtake rational thinking and thus, men can make decision that may not be their own best interested. It then turns into a situation where his erection overrides his brain.
