Love and Addiction

Animals produce dopamine during mating, and after mating is complete, driven by the stimulating dopamine, they seek out the next mating partner. Besides bringing pleasure and excitement to animals, sex, masturbation, drug use, online gaming, and smoking, dopamine also leads to "addiction."

There are some exceptions in nature, such as prairie voles, which stay together even after mating. In addition to dopamine, researchers have found oxytocin and vasopressin during the mating process of prairie voles. Females secrete oxytocin, while males secrete vasopressin.

When these two hormones were injected into the brains of voles that had not yet mated, something interesting happened: they formed pair bonds without mating!

Is human love similar? A study from Sweden shows that men with problems in vasopressin secretion have twice the likelihood of their marriages ending within a year compared to others. Short-term infatuation is dominated by dopamine, but after the passion fades, long-term partnerships are governed by vasopressin and oxytocin. At the beginning of a romantic relationship, humans also experience a state similar to "addiction," where they think of nothing else but wanting to see each other and be together. This phase is primarily driven by dopamine. When this phase ends, it is best to have sufficient vasopressin (or oxytocin for females) in your system; otherwise, you have a high chance of seeking new love.

In other words, dopamine, vasopressin, and oxytocin are the chemical essence of human love.