FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE聽|聽February 10, 2014

The Chemistry of Love: Valentine鈥檚 Day Science from ACS Reactions

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2014 鈥� Love has inspired timeless songs and sonnets 鈥� not to mention a few less-than-timeless romantic comedies. Now the chemistry of love is the subject of the latest episode of the American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网鈥檚 Reactions YouTube series (formerly Bytesize Science). Just in time for Valentine鈥檚 Day, the video is available at .

The video explains how feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and oxytocin fuel lifelong pair bonds in prairie voles, which 鈥� along with humans 鈥� are the mammalian kingdom鈥檚 leading monogamists. 鈥淚f you block oxytocin receptors, you can totally cut off that pair-bonding response,鈥� explains Abigail Marsh, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Georgetown University. 鈥淧eople who excite romantic feelings in us also probably trigger increases in oxytocin, which results in an increase in dopamine, and then we find that person [to be] someone we want to stick with.鈥� In the video, Marsh also explains that addictive drugs affect the brain in ways similar to love 鈥� which helps explain the painful, withdrawal-like symptoms of heartbreak.

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