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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology of romantic love | 5/14 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_of_romantic_love | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T15:53:39.742070+00:00 | kb-cron |
Sexual desire is associated with a drive to initiate and be receptive to sexual activity. Testosterone, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, histamine, and opioids have been implicated in sexual behavior. Courtship attraction is for choosing and focusing energy on a preferred mating partner and promotes courtship behaviors. It can take the form of love at first sight attraction or a crush and also be intertwined with other forms of attraction, but might not precede a relationship in all cases. Courtship attraction may be associated with dopamine, oxytocin, and opioids. Bonding attraction is the type of attraction for pair bond formation, characterized by a strong desire for proximity, separation anxiety when apart, exclusivity of focus, and heightened awareness of the loved one. Bonding attraction is associated with dopamine and oxytocin activity, especially in the ventral tegmental area. According to Bode's arguments, this is the type of romantic attraction shown in fMRI experiments of early-stage romantic love. Obsessive thinking involves preoccupation or intrusive thinking about the loved one. Some authors have drawn a comparison between this feature and obsessive-compulsive disorder, suggesting they share similar neurobiology, but the evidence for that is limited and ambiguous. Attachment is for pair bond maintenance, or maintaining very close personal relationships, with psychological features like a heightened sense of responsibility, longing for reciprocity, and a powerful sense of empathy. Attachment is associated with oxytocin, dopamine, and opioid activity, but there is also some evidence for the involvement of vasopressin. Bode suggests that the systems of bonding attraction, obsessive thinking and attachment (the three systems which were co-opted from mother-infant bonding) together form the core of romantic love (the necessary components). However, all five systems are merged into one single phenomenon of romantic love, with a variety of different outcomes depending on the circumstances.
== Mechanics ==
=== Reward, motivation and addiction ===