There’s nothing better than love. Period. The most powerful and transformative emotion in the Universe is also extremely complex, and has numerous physiological effects on the human body. The team at the Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) in Berkeley put together a fascinating list of the top 7 areas in the human body where romantic love abides in our bodies — and the role each one plays in sustaining love over time.
The first of the seven is entitled “Lust Is Born in the Hypothalamus: As this brain scan image suggests, romantic and maternal love affect many of the same parts of the brain — with a few crucial differences. In the brain of a lover, for instance, lust emerges in the funnel-shaped hypothalamus and lights up dopamine-rich parts of the basal ganglia, which is involved in learning and rewards. In other words, lust drives us in a way that motherhood doesn’t. What about when we’re rejected by a prospective lover? In that sad event, the right ventral putamen–pallidum and accumbens core activate.”
You can read all seven by visiting GreaterGood.Berkeley.edu. You can read all FEELguide stories related to the Greater Good Science Center by visiting GGSC on FEELguide.
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