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Your brain in love

Anterior Cingulate - This section of the human brain shows the Anterior Cingulate Cortex activated. This part of the brain is known to be involved in responding to synthetic drugs that induce feelings of euphoria. It is associated with happy states, attention to one's own emotional state, and especially social interactions which involve assessing one's own emotions as well as the emotions of others.

Medial Insula - This section shows the Medial Insula activated from a section of the brain viewed from the top. This area of the brain is related to a variety of emotional functions. The appearance of lesions can indicate severe emotional consequences, among them are those related to the interpretation of visual input.

Putamen and Caudate Nucleus - This is a rear view of the brain. It shows three of the love hotspots activated: the Putamen, the Caudate Nucleus, and the Medial Insula. The Putamen and the Caudate Nucleus both lie deep within the brain and are two of the most commonly activated areas with regard to both positive and negative emotions.

These fMRI brain scans were done by Professor Semir Zeki and his team at University College London (and come from the Discovery website). They tested women and men by showing them images of the person they were in love with and then showing them pictures of others, then recorded increased blood flow to these areas of the brain.

Professor Aron at State University in New York found that a way to induce love and attraction in both partnerships and total strangers is to stare into the other person's eyes for 4 minutes straight without blinking. Also, he claims that we can missattribute emotions of fear and excitements as love, so it makes sense to watch scary movies and such. Here is an interview with the Professor. He says kindness is the strongest indicator in having a successful long term relationship and that makes me think he's hokey, but who knows.

Posted by bluprnt at December 16, 2004 07:14 PM