Treatment Online

The Sweet Embrace of... Addiction!?
> 12/5/2005 3:47:39 PM

Anyone who has felt sting of a lover spurned understands that love acts much like a drug. That post-break-up rebound? That's just withdrawal, my friends. Scientists have long hypothesized about the physiological effects of falling in love, and finally, a team from Florida State University is shining light on that question.

Working with prairie voles, an animal whose monogamy is well documented, researchers were able to isolate chemical reactions in the rodent brains that correlated to the act of falling in love. Then, they were able to test their conclusions by blocking the chemical reactions, and mapping the resulting behavior. Dopamine played a strong part in keeping male voles honest, but when the activity of a protein that is activated by dopamine was blocked, essentially preventing the males from receiving their love fix, they lost interest.

What can we learn from these voles? Easy. There's no need to do drugs, get addicted to love.