Interesting...
This may have something to do with my fickleness and indecision...
From: "The Physiology of Love"
The third and final stage of love is called the 'attachment stage', and is characterized by the production of two hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin.
Oxytocin is more well-known as the hormone released by the hypothalamus gland during labor in childbirth where it plays a major role in producing contractions for delivery of an infant, and after delivery when it is produced to help in the expression of breast milk.
During the third stage of love, however, oxytocin plays it's major role with orgasm during sex.
It is theorized that, like the bond cemented between mother and child during the release of oxytocin while breastfeeding, couples also experience bonding when oxytocin is produced by having sex, and that the longer the sexual relationship, the stronger the bond.
This is a good explanation as to why it's so hard in letting go when a relationship fails and two people separate, expectedly or unexpectedly.
Because of the induced bond created, it can be excruciating to be apart, causing other active hormones, such as dopamine, to want to wildly pursue contact and embark on an almost insane onslaught of continuous anguished thoughts of the absent partner.
As time goes on, however, and contact dwindles to a minimum or to none, the realization of the break can be grasped and finally accepted by the heart-broken partner, due largely by gradual slowed production and depletion of these chemicals, which promoted the emotions and bonding in the first place.
Vasopressin is the last chemical for discussion, and is the most mysterious in exactly how it works in relationship to the emotions. By classification, it is an anti-diuretic hormone described as a nine amino acid peptide secreted from the posterior pituitary within hypothalamic neurons, and it's primary function is to conserve body water by reducing the output of urine.
Although the major role of vasopressin is focused on the proper functioning of the kidneys, scientists studying the prairie vole (a rodent-like creature) made a phenomenal discovery which may apply to humans, as well.
The prairie vole was known to secrete the same two hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, during sex, that humans do.
In the voles, long-term bonding through sex was characteristic, but scientists, hoping for proof of vasopressin's true effects concerning bonding, experimented by giving the vole a drug which suppressed the presence of vasopressin.
The vole disassociated with it's partner immediately and the bond deteriorated, giving some proof to vasopressin's possible role in the bonding of humans in long-term relationships.
As with oxytocin, no-contact status reduces the production of vasopressin back to 'normal' therefore, also reducing the desire to be with the estranged mate.
...
Those prairie voles...
I'll give it time.
From: "The Physiology of Love"
The third and final stage of love is called the 'attachment stage', and is characterized by the production of two hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin.
Oxytocin is more well-known as the hormone released by the hypothalamus gland during labor in childbirth where it plays a major role in producing contractions for delivery of an infant, and after delivery when it is produced to help in the expression of breast milk.
During the third stage of love, however, oxytocin plays it's major role with orgasm during sex.
It is theorized that, like the bond cemented between mother and child during the release of oxytocin while breastfeeding, couples also experience bonding when oxytocin is produced by having sex, and that the longer the sexual relationship, the stronger the bond.
This is a good explanation as to why it's so hard in letting go when a relationship fails and two people separate, expectedly or unexpectedly.
Because of the induced bond created, it can be excruciating to be apart, causing other active hormones, such as dopamine, to want to wildly pursue contact and embark on an almost insane onslaught of continuous anguished thoughts of the absent partner.
As time goes on, however, and contact dwindles to a minimum or to none, the realization of the break can be grasped and finally accepted by the heart-broken partner, due largely by gradual slowed production and depletion of these chemicals, which promoted the emotions and bonding in the first place.
Vasopressin is the last chemical for discussion, and is the most mysterious in exactly how it works in relationship to the emotions. By classification, it is an anti-diuretic hormone described as a nine amino acid peptide secreted from the posterior pituitary within hypothalamic neurons, and it's primary function is to conserve body water by reducing the output of urine.
Although the major role of vasopressin is focused on the proper functioning of the kidneys, scientists studying the prairie vole (a rodent-like creature) made a phenomenal discovery which may apply to humans, as well.
The prairie vole was known to secrete the same two hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, during sex, that humans do.
In the voles, long-term bonding through sex was characteristic, but scientists, hoping for proof of vasopressin's true effects concerning bonding, experimented by giving the vole a drug which suppressed the presence of vasopressin.
The vole disassociated with it's partner immediately and the bond deteriorated, giving some proof to vasopressin's possible role in the bonding of humans in long-term relationships.
As with oxytocin, no-contact status reduces the production of vasopressin back to 'normal' therefore, also reducing the desire to be with the estranged mate.
...
Those prairie voles...
I'll give it time.