1. Christin Dietrichsteiner Elisabeth Kaban Alina Hudelist
The Brain on
Love
Christin Dietrichsteiner
Elisabeth Kaban
Alina Hudelist

2. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
Emotions
neurotransmitters (chemical messengers)
communicate information
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

3. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
Neuron signaling
activating a neuron:
electrical impulse down the
axon toward the synpase
releasing of neurotransmitters
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

4. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
Rules of Attraction
neurotransmitters
oxytocin
vasopressin
Pair bonding
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

5. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
The Stages of Love
Desire
Physical attraction
hormone testosterone
Romance
neurotransmitters: dopamine and norepinephrine
rush of happiness
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

6. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
The Stages of Love
Attachment
long-lasting relationship
neurotransmitters: oxytocin and vasopressin
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

7. Inside your brain: Cerebral cortex
the largest part of the brain
thinking and reasoning
allows you to:
smell
light
hot
cold
tastes
sounds
touch
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

8. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
Basal Ganglia
motivation and drive
contain receptors for the neurotransmitter
creates pleasurable feelings and craving when people first fall in love
ventral pallidum
bonding a relation-ship
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

9. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
Cerebellum
processes stimuli from your
eyes
ears
skeletal muscles
joints
coordinate muscles movement
maintain balance
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

10. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
Brainstem
connects to the spinal cord
controls basic bodily functions
breathing
heartbeat
digestion
the ventral tegment area
new and long term love
dopamine
acts on reward pathway
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

11. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
Limbic System
center of emotion
bridge between the cerebral cortex and brain stem
strong emotions cause
reactions in your
stomach
muscles
heart
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

12. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
Rodent romance
If oxytocin was given to male
and female prairie vole the
animals would forge a long-lasting pair bond
If oxytocin was given to
montane voles they would
bond for a short time and
then separate.
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

13. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
What about humans?
Our brain is different:
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

14. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
Love and the brain
What happens neurologically?
modes for lust
romantic
long-term commitment
Initial attraction:
Release of hormones (testosterone, oestrogen)
Passionate love:
changing levels of various chemicals (dopamine, serotonin)
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

15. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
Passion and romance
rarely last forever
dopamine and serotonin level return to normal
many stay together after this happens
Longer-term bond:
brain produces other chemicals
oxytocin, vasopressin
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner

16. Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner
Sex
kick-start chemical changes
partners are more likely to fall in love
once they‘ve slept together
6. Dezember 2018
Elisabeth Kaban, Alina Hudelist & Christin Dietrichsteiner