What is LOVE?

Do you remember your

first crush? Who is
he/she?

What did you feel back

then?
Is love an emotion or it
is just a product of
chemical reaction inside
the brain?
The Chemistry of Love:
The Science behind Lust,
Attraction, and
Companionship
three stages of falling in
love:
1. LUST
2. ATTRACTION
3. ATTACHMENT
LUST
 Driven by the desire for sexual
gratification; evolutionary basis for this
is our need to need to reproduce;
through reproduction, organisms pass
on their genes, and thus contribute to
the perpetuation of their species.
LUST
 The hypothalamus of the brain plays a
big role by stimulating the production of
the sex hormones:
Testosterone: from the testes; increases
libido
Estrogen: from the ovaries; increases
sexual motivation in women during
ovulation
ATTRACTION (Falling in
love)
 Involves romantic or passionate love,
characterized by euphoria; physical
symptoms of falling in love include loss
of appetite, inability to sleep, lack of
concentration, wet palms, and
butterflies in the stomach.
 ATTRACTION (Falling in
love)
 These symptoms are caused by surging brain cells
called monoamines:
 Norepinephrine- high dosage are released during
attraction: these chemicals makes us giddy, energetic,
and euphoric even leading to decreased appetite and
insomnia. Also known as noradrenalin
 Dopamine- produced by the hypothalamus, release when
things that feel good to us like spending time with loved
ones and having sex.
 ATTRACTION (Falling in
love)
 These symptoms are caused by surging brain cells
called monoamines:
 Phenylethylamine- a natural amphetamine; gives
the feeling of being on-top-of-the-world that attraction
can bring; and gives the energy to stay up day and
night when in love.
 Serotonin- hormone that’s involved in appetite and
mood; gives the overpowering infatuation that
characterized the beginning stages of love.
 ATTACHMENT (staying
together)
 Attachment mediates friendship, parent- infant
bonding, social cordiality, and many other
intimacies as well.
 Oxytocin- “cuddle hormones”; released during sex (peaks
during orgasm), breastfeeding, and childbirth
 Vasopressin- “monogamy chemical”
 Endorphins- produced to cope with pain or stress; “feel-
good” chemicals because they can act as a pain reliever
and happiness booster.
DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL
BEHAVIOR
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Heterosexual- sexually attracted to people of the
opposite sex; commonly referred to as straight
Homosexual- sexually attracted to people of their
own sex; gay or lesbian;
Bisexual- sexually attracted not exclusively to
people of one particular gender; attracted to both
men and women;
DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL
BEHAVIOR
GENDER IDENTITY
Transgender
Cisgender- relating to a person whose sense of
personality and gender corresponds with their
birth sex
DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL
BEHAVIOR
RELATED MINORITIES
LGBT or LGBTI- Lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender/ transexual people, and sometimes
intersex people