Love might feel like falling head-over-heels, but have you ever wondered if there’s more than butterflies going on?
Behavioural neuroscientist Dr Erin Campbell from the University of Newcastle and HMRI’s Brain Health Research Program reveals love is a full-blown brain takeover, reshaping how we think, feel, and connect.
When someone falls in love, several key areas of the brain become more active. These regions are involved in processing emotion, motivation and social behaviour, particularly those linked with bonding and reward.
“When you fall in love, we see changes in brain regions that are involved in emotion processing and social affection, including the hypothalamus and ventral tegmental area,” Dr Campbell explains.
These changes are driven by the release of certain chemicals. Together, they activate a broad network of brain circuits that support bonding, attachment and partner preference.
“Love feels so intense because during romantic interactions these brain regions release chemicals including oxytocin, vasopressin and dopamine”
As these circuits repeatedly activate, the brain adapts. In this sense, love reshapes how the brain responds to another person.
“The activity of these circuits does change with love and bonding so, in a way, the brain is re-wiring itself.”
One of the most influential chemicals in early romantic attraction is dopamine. Known for its role in pleasure and reward, dopamine helps explain why new love can feel so exciting.
“Dopamine, and its activity in reward brain regions such as the striatum and amygdala, helps us feel pleasure and euphoria”
Dr Campbell says there is growing evidence to suggest that dopamine also helps us learn about new rewards and relationships.
If dopamine levels are high, the brain may be more likely to reinforce behaviours that strengthen attraction and connection, increasing the likelihood of romantic attachment forming.
“Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that helps us learn if a relationship is good,” Dr Campbell explains. “If the relationship is good and dopamine levels are high, we are more likely to develop a romantic attraction.”
While dopamine plays a major role early on, long-term bonding relies on a more complex chemical network.
“Oxytocin and vasopressin play important roles in bonding and social attraction. Research in the 1990s and early 2000s showed that sexual activity can increase oxytocin levels, and vasopressin is involved in partner selection,” Dr Campbell explains.
“But we know that oxytocin and vasopressin don’t work alone.”
Instead, attachment develops through the interaction of oxytocin, vasopressin, dopamine and many other brain chemicals working together across interconnected circuits.
“These chemicals, or molecules, work in a broad network to coordinate the development of social relationships and attachment.”
The strength and balance of the connections in this network change over time, which can have big implications for relationships at different stages.
For example, early on in what is sometimes colloquially called the ‘honeymoon phase’, our behaviours and brain activity may preference sexual attraction.
Dr Campbell points out this contrasts with long-term relationships, where behaviours and brain activity preferences may shift toward safety and security.
The end of a relationship can sometimes feel physically painful. This is because the behaviours that often follow heartbreak activate the brain regions involved in pain processing.
“Social isolation and loneliness, which can occur after a breakup, have been linked with changes in the periaqueductal grey area of the brain which is part of the pain neurocircuitry,” Dr Campbell says.
Beyond pain, isolation can also contribute to the development of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Additionally, loneliness impacts sleep and ageing.
“All of these things combined can play a major role in health and wellbeing,” she says. “That is why good coping strategies following a breakup are important.”
Dr Campbell recommends engaging in self-care activities and strengthening connections, such as maintaining good exercise routines, healthy eating habits and leaning on a social support network, like friends or family members.
Love really is all around us, and it begins in the brain.
