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Lyudmila Schekotova

 [ The first part skipped - it once again suggests that, because human babies need longer care than baby animals, love evolved as a mechanism for keeping partners together for a certain time after the birth of their offspring; they estimate this time at 4 years. A doubtful number, as even at prehistoric rates a 4-year-old child seems too small to survive alone. Also they give an even more strange hypothesis of all-history monogamy always accompanied by adultery (does not fit into "evolutionary mechanism" concept); they state that now only 5% of couples remain honest to each other, and that men and women commit adultery equally often (does not match anonymous poll results) ]

The victims of love often say that they feel as if carried away by a mighty stream... The latest discoveries confirm this metaphoric image: a smile, a glance, a familiar perfume, a touch of a lover's hand can cause a real flood of chemicals in a human organism. Originating from the brain, they quickly rush through nerves and blood vessels causing well-known symptoms like blush, sweaty hands, or heavy breath. You say that love seems much like a stress then? Well, why not if their chemical representation is identical.

After falling in love, a person enters the state of euphoria what is not strange because the brain starts to produce strong chemicals with structure very close to amphetamines, including dopamine, norepinephrine, and especially phenylamine (PEA). [Chemical terms possibly misspelled -- translator.]

"The feeling of love is a drug given to us by Nature," states Antony Welsh, the author of the book "Love science and its effects on mind and body ". "PEA is the one to blame for the stupid smiles we suddenly give to a complete stranger: just spot something attractive about the person, and your PEA factory rings emergency bells!"

However, PEA intoxication [ alas, addicts keep true to themselves - YuN ] is not stable: the organism eventually becomes tolerant to it (as with all amphetamines), the same effect requires larger dosage, and the productive capacity of the brain is not unlimited. In about 3 years it is surpassed by the sensitivity threshold, and the rush comes to an end. Chew chocolate or not (it has plenty of PEA), it is impossible to replenish resources of the organism that way. So here comes the fourth year - the end of love... the end of marriage?

Correction: not any love but just ROMANTIC love. Many couples really part, and others... Well, later on that topic, and now a few words about the so-called Don Juan syndrome. Michael Leibovitz from New York State Psychiatric Institute has named such individuals "rush lovers": getting drunk of amphetamine cocktail in blood, these "internal drug addicts" prolong chemical happiness by changing partners before the initial charm fades out.

Sometimes the amphetamine period of love can be prolonged to 6 - 7 years by birth of a baby (sensitivity threshold decreases). And then what? More children do not have the same biochemical effect. On the other hand, married couples that are stable enough to survive bad times and periods of mutual decrease of interest, are again awarded by Nature... this time by endorphins.

These are, of course, also drugs, but with a different effect: acting like painkillers, they provide loving hearts with peace and calmness in their unity. Production of endorphins is stimulated by constant communication with the partner; after parting it rapidly declines... "That is why we suffer so much when our beloved dies or leaves for another partner," H.Fisher explains. "The reason is that we are deprived of our usual portion of drug."

Another bioactive substance produced by the brain, oxytocine, is also directly connected to love and procreation. It increases neural sensitivity, stimulates muscular contractions (including birth pangs), milk production, motherly love, and, according to some researchers, also causes erotic play between sexual partners and orgasm.

By the way, about partners! The evolutionary role of homosexualism still remains a mystery [ well, the sexophiles always have no doubt that any filth and pathology must have a reason! - YuN ], for that kind of partnership can never lead to procreation; however, feelings of gay and lesbian are as real, at least from the biochemical point of view. [oh, what a discovery! - YuN ]

Finally, why when we have a choice, we choose a certain person; maybe, not always the best one? Evolution and biology are partially responsible here; this is why men are often subject to the so-called "love at the first glance " for women of early fertile age - 17 to 28 years old. [ The perversion of humans shows again. Adult female apes exhibit certain features (swelling of lips, breasts, etc.) during mating periods. In humans, these features appear at an early age, before the optimal period for procreation, and are permanent - YuN ]Ladies usually do not fall in love at once, for they carry out a subconscious evaluation of reliability of a certain candidate as a father for future family. [ Quite possible - in prehistoric society females are significantly dependent on males, hence more responsibility for the choice - YuN ]However, this does not explain why Mary would prefer John to his twin Bill... [and why did a coin fall on one side, and not the other? By the way, these John and Bill could as well swap roles, and Mary would not know unless there is significant difference between them  -  YuN ]

"The nature had programmed us for one partner" - suggests Welsh romantically, completely rejecting the idea that a Homo Sapiens (either female or male) can love two persons simultaneously. [ Which is quite possible, and polygamic cultures show that well. Americans should sometimes remember that there are other countries outside the U.S. - YuN ]. Every person, he states, carries a unique guide to an ideal partner in subconsciousness - "the map of love ", according to sexologist John M. from Johns Hopkins University. There all experience of communication is stored, including plus and minus marks for certain qualities of personality. And if just anyone scores a sufficient amount on this scale... here it is, love! By the way, the objects of one person's worship may differ from each other if they have different layout of positive characteristics. [ An awesome fruit of hard thinking! - YuN ]