True Love: Is Monogamy Unnatural?

Love Chemistry

The chemistry of love reveals how our brains react when we're infatuated. Dr. Helen Fisher explains that romantic love activates the ventral tegmental area, a brain region associated with craving and obsession, due to the release of dopamine, a chemical linked to reward and pleasure 1. This reaction is similar to the brain's response to cocaine, highlighting the intensity of love's impact on our perception 1. Fisher's studies, though initially small, have been replicated, showing that dopamine plays a significant role in romantic attraction across different groups 2.

Everything about them becomes special. The house they live in, the car they drive is different from every other car.

--- Dr. Helen Fisher

However, the question remains whether these chemicals can sustain lifelong monogamy, prompting further investigation into monogamous species like prairie voles 2.

   

Vole Studies

Studying voles offers insights into the neural chemistry of monogamy. Professor Larry Young compares prairie voles, which form lifelong bonds, to meadow voles, which do not, attributing this difference to the presence of oxytocin receptors in specific brain areas 3. By blocking these receptors in prairie voles, Young observed that their bonding behavior diminished, suggesting oxytocin's crucial role in monogamous attachment 3.

When we love someone, we can use our elaborate cerebral cortex to think about how wonderful our partner is.

--- Professor Larry Young

In humans, oxytocin also influences partner interactions, but our complex brains add layers of cognitive processing that voles lack, complicating the role of these chemicals in human relationships 4.