For those whose ancient Greek is a bit rusty, agape refers to unconditional love, eros to romantic love, philia to affectionate love, and storge to familial love. Although agape seems to be somewhat unfathomable, science has
been making inroads into the neurochemical nature of eros, philia and storge.
According to Syracuse University Professor Stephanie Ortigue, “falling in love” (eros) is neurochemically akin to ingesting cocaine. She reports that when a Romeo spots a Juliet across a crowded room, “12 areas of the brain work in tandem to release euphoria-inducing chemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin, adrenaline and vasopressin.” This same eros feeling “affects sophisticated mental functions, such as mental representation, metaphors and body image.”
Although this sounds very brain-oriented, Ortigue does not discount the heart’s role in love entirely. She explains that the brain and heart are related “because the complex concept of love is formed by both bottom-up and top-down processes from the brain to the heart and vice versa.” This is why the heart seems to leap when that special someone comes a knocking.
Professor Lucy Brown from New York City’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine is also investigating the lure of eros. By analyzing MRI brain scans of college students “in the throes of new love,” Brown discovered that the caudate area of the brain (the part associated with cravings) is activated during eros states. The ventral tegmental area of the brain (which produces dopamine) also becomes activated. Scientists believe that the caudate signals the ventral tegmental for more and more dopamine in order to retain that exciting “in love” feeling. This eros cycle has been compared to those brain processes that are linked with drug addiction.
Ortigue reports that eros (passionate) and storge (familial) love involve different combinations of brain areas. Eros is “sparked by the reward part of the brain,” and storge involves the middle brain. CNN Health reports: “Brains in love and brains in lust don’t look too much alike.”
Resources
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/10/22/falling.love.more.scientific.you.think.according.syracuse.university.professor
http://articles.cnn.com/2007-02-14/health/love.science_1_scans-caudate-amygdala?_s=PM:HEALTH
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4%3A8&version=NIV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_(symbol)
Copyright February 14, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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