Lover’s High: The Neuroscience of Love and Love Addiction

Introduction

Few human experiences have the power to remind us that we belong to our hearts, dissolve the deepest indifference, and transcend the boundaries of civilizations and time. Love, one of the most profound human emotions, takes on new significance when examined scientifically. When taken out of the hands of a poet and put into those of a neuroscientist, love reveals an entirely new world of meaning. From early butterflies to all-consuming desire, the brain quietly works with the heart through every stage of love.

The neuroscience of love involves a complex interplay of neural processes. When an individual falls in love, various brain regions activate, including those responsible for releasing dopamine–the “feel-good hormone”–and engaging the brain’s reward circuits [1]. Together, these processes generate physical and emotional responses: the flush on a lover’s cheeks, the steady increase of their heart rate, the perspiration dampening their palms, and the overwhelming emotions associated with falling in love.

However, the same neural mechanisms driving love can also reveal a darker side–one that shifts from the sweet sensations associated with love to something resembling addiction. “Love addiction” refers to the pathological obsession that consumes an individual when love transforms from a healthy emotion to a compulsive fixation [1]. As the sensation of love shifts into obsession, the brain follows suit.

Brain Regions Involved in Love 

Although love manifests through various outlets,falling in love blossoms in the brain. Numerous primitive, evolutionary, ancient brain areas are activated during the falling-in-love phase and the experience of being in love.

In the early stages of falling in love, the ventral tegmental area, a region in the midbrain involved in the brain’s reward system, becomes activated [2]. This brain region is associated with basic survival needs, including quenching thirst, satisfying hunger, and other essential reflexes [2]. As part of the reward system, the VTA plays a crucial role in pleasure-seeking and the pursuit of rewards [3]. Both functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies and behavioral studies have shown that the VTA is activated during the early stages of love [2]. In a previous study, fMRI revealed increased activity in the VTA of participants when they were shown a picture of their romantic partner [2]. 

Other areas of the brain are also active during the process of falling in love, including dopamine-rich regions like the caudate nucleus [2]. Dopamine release is a defining factor of the brain in love. The surge of dopamine produces euphoria and continually drives the desire to renew the source of pleasure. When these networks are active, various chemicals flood the brain, and together, they produce the human response to love, influencing both physical reflexes and emotional reactions.

Dopamine Pathways Found in Addiction and Love 

The same neural circuits activated in the early stages of love are also associated with pathways involved in addiction. Neural circuits triggered by addictive drugs like cocaine, heroin, or OxyContin are activated during the early stages of love [4].

The buildup of dopamine is one of the most defining neurobiological aspects of falling in love. Alongside this, the early stages of love involve biochemical reactions with compounds like oxytocin, often called the “love hormone,” vasopressin, and serotonin [5]. These reactions highlight the parallels between love and addiction [5]. While contemporary research on this relationship is still under investigation, established similarities in neural activities between love and addiction offer compelling insights [5].

Many of these biochemical reactions, particularly dopamine release, also occur when cocaine– one of the most addictive and “pleasurable” drugs–enters the bloodstream and infiltrates the brain [6]. In general, the use of drugs, such as cocaine, targets the brain’s limbic system, which regulates pleasure and motivation [6]. Cocaine’s ability to cause large surges of dopamine exemplifies its addictiveness [6]. Due to how the human brain is wired, dopamine release, regardless of its source, leads the brain to crave the repetition of pleasurable experiences [7]. These continuous neurochemical reactions lead to changes in neural connectivity, reinforcing the source of pleasure and fostering addiction [7]. 

Thus, the release of dopamine caused by drug use—or love—triggers a cycle through the brain’s reward system, leading to intense sensations that perpetuate cravings [4]. In drug addiction, this craving leads to increased drug use and addiction. In individuals who are falling in love, this cycle can lead to an increased, unhealthy obsession and creates a strong possibility of love itself becoming an addiction.

While circuits associated with happiness and excitement are engaged during love, other unexpected circuits are also active. The limbic system is also involved, which, as aforementioned, is also intertwined with neural activities during drug usage [5]. More specifically, the limbic system in the brain plays a significant role in the initial buildup of trust, pleasure, and reward, as well as reactive feelings such as euphoria and ecstasy [5]. Prolonged periods of euphoria and ecstasy, commonly referred to as “manic episodes”, can be damaging to the brain’s neural circuits [4]. Mania is a period of extreme, disturbed behaviors, and moods, like recklessness, obsession, and addiction––states we do not typically associate with the “storybook” version of love [4]. While it may seem paradoxical, both the positive and negative ends of this circuit are triggered by both drug use and love, specifically in the early stages of each.

It may seem nonsensical to compare love to drug use, but when breaking down brain activity during both experiences, the functional components are quite similar. The neurochemical impact of drugs mirrors that of love, and as a result, the brain begins to treat love like a drug–or, in some cases, an addiction.

Love Addiction

Whether it is the seemingly ironic, “unrealistic” nature of it or the inconsistent, alternative disorders associated with it, love addiction lies on a spectrum that is not easily defined [1]. Love addiction can manifest in different forms, each driven by an all-consuming craving for some aspect of love. A behavioral study on self-identified “love addicts” summarizes two main forms: the craving for early love and the craving for lasting love [1].

The first focuses on the euphoria and high of early love, while the latter focuses on a desire for lasting and intense love that can change one’s life for the better [1]. Both forms often result in an unhealthy, all-consuming attachment to a romantic partner. While these don’t encompass all of the nuances of love addiction, they do offer insights into love addiction and its manifestations in the brain and life.

The nuances of love addiction are still under investigation, making it difficult to establish a solid definition of the disorder. Some argue for comparing it to “healthy” love, which manifests as deep care, empathy, and connection. They believe healthy love, by definition, cannot be an addiction; therefore, love addiction cannot be healthy [6]. Others argue that health love and love addiction are opposite sides of the same coin, with only a thin line separating the two.

Neurologically, there isn’t a strict division between healthy love and love addiction. However, from psychological and behavioral perspectives, the differences are made clear, shedding light on the impacts of love addiction.

Behavioral Effects of Love Addiction 

In a behavioral sense, when an individual is experiencing love addiction, they are both consciously and subconsciously projecting the effects of it. Cravings for emotional highs replace healthy boundaries, and healthy boundaries are replaced by all-consuming obsession, distorting one’s perception of reality [4,5].

Neurologically, a brain experiencing love addiction does not exhibit unique functions; it amplifies and projects the functions associated with falling in love more intensely and negatively [5]. The difference between healthy love and love addiction lies in how the brain reacts to these functions and which ones it prioritizes. These differences are brought to light when considering the behavioral and psychological aspects of love addiction.

Many of the sensations that are used to scientifically parallel love to addiction are prevalent, in moderation, in the general state of falling in love. However, love addiction can be behaviorally and psychologically defined when this sense of moderation is eliminated, and the “high” of falling in love strays from smittenness and begins to reflect addiction. This addictive state of love consists of behaviors analogous to general addiction, including mood swings, all-consuming cravings, reality distortion, and the cycle of obsessions and compulsions [5].

In a comparative sense to “normal” love, in love addiction, loyalty can begin to manifest through excessive possessiveness, healthy attachment begins to look more like despairing dependency, and general attraction turns into both physical and emotional obsession [4]. These are just a few of the many specific parallel differences prevalent in love addiction. Overall, the behavioral differences of love addiction cause an individual to process the emotions, sensations, and behaviors that come with love in an overly intense way. Outwardly, this leads to unhealthiness and toxicity, and inwardly, it facilitates the rapid development of addiction.

Love addiction impacts individuals in its grasp and manifests itself in the brain in various ways. However, as an overarching result, the romantic relationships, mental health, and reality of said individuals are negatively impacted when the human brain is on love.

Conclusion

Love is an intrinsic, passionate, and transformative human emotion– one that is deeply intertwined in the brain’s complex neural circuitry. Love graces people with true understanding, care, and connection, but it also has the power to plague people with an unhealthy, all-consuming fixation. The delicate distinction between healthy connection and detrimental obsession is brought to light by delving into the neuroscience behind love. This understanding reminds us that in the presence or absence of love and the presence or absence of addiction, not only do we belong to our hearts– but we belong to our brains. 

References

1. Novotney, A. (2023, February 10). What happens in your brain when you’re in love? Apa.org. https://www.apa.org/topics/marriage-relationships/brain-on-love 

2. Edwards, S. (2015). Love and the Brain. Harvard Medical School; The President and Fellows of Harvard College. https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/love-brain 

3. Migliore, L. (2022, February 13). In Love With Love: The Science Of Love Addiction | Brain World. Brainworldmagazine.com. https://brainworldmagazine.com/love-love-science-love-addiction/#google_vignette 

4. Briggie, A., & Briggie, C. (2015). The Behavioral Addictions. Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=63HBBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA153#v=onepage&q&f=false 

5. Earp, B. D., Wudarczyk, O. A., Foddy, B., & Savulescu, J. (2017). Addicted to Love: What Is Love Addiction and When Should It Be Treated? Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, 24(1), 77–92. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5378292/   

6. Nestler, E. (2005). The Neurobiology of Cocaine Addiction. Science & Practice Perspectives, 3(1), 4–10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2851032/ 

7. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2011). Drugs and the Brain. National Institute on Drug Abuse. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drugs-brain