What's Chemistry got to do with Love!!

Love is credited for life's greatest moments, yet blamed for the most crushing sorrows (Brownlee 295). Love is what "makes the world go round"! It is the most used emotion that human beings experience and most importantly is essential to our human existence. One might ask, what is love and why is it so mysterious? I believe love means a lot more than just obtaining a marriage certificate or spending thousand of dollars on a wedding ceremony, a lot more goes into the process of following in love. In Brownlee's article Biochemistry-What's Chemistry Got to do With it? and Fisher's article After all, Maybe It's...Biology, gives numerous examples to understanding why human beings fall in love.

Love is not always what you see in movies, whereas people fall in love at first sight and live happily ever after. Instead love is caused by a chemical called oxytocin which fosters the bond between mothers and children and is said to be the fuel to romantic love(Brownlee 295). The oxytocin acts as a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger to help guide the behavior that creates the emotion love. Another love messenger in the brain are the endorphins (the body's own version of drugs). The high levels of endorphins induce a state of happy relaxation, making "researchers believe the power of endorphins to affect mood may play a crucial role in bonding" (Brownlee 297). Passionate, love affects the entire human body by making the stomach turn, increasing heat rate, making the inner palms sweat, etc. These sensations come from the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve "signals between our innards and our brains, conveying information upward about our internal state and sending orders down from the brain to the heart, the stomach, the lungs, and the sex organs" (Brownlee 297). According to Brownlee, love is impossible without the vagus nerve, which then makes it essential to the human body.

Human beings are very similar to animals especially the way we establish mates and love. Most people believe that love is a natural emotion that comes to them in time when it applies but it is not really a natural emotion, instead its a learned trait. What people do not realize is that they use this trait quite frequently but are not aware of its processes. For instances when women flirt they smile at their admirer, open their eye wide to gaze at him, and as the women walks away she tilts her head down giggling nervously hoping her admirer approaches her. I do not think woman are aware that they do these things its more of an instinct or learned act that they use in aid to attract the opposite sex. According to Fisher, "eye contact between the sexes is permitted, men and women often stare intently at potential mates for about two to three seconds during which their pupils may dilate" (Fisher 300). The dilate in the eyes is a sign that there is extreme interest between two people who gaze that long to each other. You cannot simply ignore other people who have fixed eyes on you, its impossible, you must respond. The gaze triggers emotions from the brain called approach or retreat.

The human body as I have pointed out has some chemistry and biological explanations to why human beings fall in love and are attracted to the opposite sex. Knowing scientific explanations can change human beings perception of what love is and how it forms. I have always thought that love can be obtain thought "love at first sight", or love could happen with anybody anywhere. I always thought love was unexplainable, it just happened and if it did it was meant to be. Understanding how and why love is formed can change our cultural traditions. They way we look at people would considerably change, it would be more on materials and physical appearance then the inner soul. I think love should stay mysterious and fairy tale-like because it makes the relationship more interesting and fun. It gives individuals possibilities and the existence to love someone for themselves than for their physical appearances or material objects. Love is a great felling, at times you can't live with it but yet you can't live without it!