Is love purely a chemical reaction?

[Shu]

That's right folks, I said it. Do you think it pure chemistry to love someone or do you think you have a conscious heart in which dictates who you shall love and who you shall not.

I say it's chemistry, only due to the fact that I am always in a stupor for certain women. Though when I fall for them, they are my of course one and only. It's a mix of how they handle them self and how they portray them self. For instance, I'm not to into a girl who is totally self obsessed and wants dudes bowing before her to kiss her toes that have no wear (aka no wisdom). I'm more into a lady who has had some considerable wear in the field of life, and isn't afraid to express herself out loud. I think it's purely chemical. I don't think she should just take over and be the pants in the relationship, though I love a woman who can carry herself at the same time. Shyness is nice and all, but you never know what complexes lay dormant sometimes.

What do you think? Chemistry or something more?

 

[Gaige]

Well of course chemicals have to come into it somewhere but really, I don't believe it matters all that much because if it is a chemical reaction, mutual love is simply a mutual reaction.

Though there are certain factors, really. After all, there are certain things that somebody can't stand in a partner, and so if somebody has that trait, love's never (or rarely) going to blossom between the two. It's not so much a conscious heart as what you're attracted to and what you're not.

You can say it's purely chemical, but there are also factors such as the person's personality and appearance, as well as your own personality and sexual preference. I highly doubt said chemistry can be as simple as predetermined preferences instilled from birth. Our bodies and minds are constantly changing due to how we're raised and what we experience in life.

Generic and dull an answer though it is, it's both in my opinion, but predominately chemistry.

 

[seddy-0]

something more. being a spiritual person.. love is some thing you feel with more than your heart.. its when you feel it in your soul... when you get butterflies every time you see that person. and every time you see that person, its like seeing them for the first time. i myself have a type, but i am always caught off guard by people not my type.

 

[Steve-O]

I personally don't totally agree with this statement, yes it is a factor when it comes to falling for someone, but every person male or female have their features and personalty which they would prefer. for example I prefer a shy girl and a girl who romantic, who enjoys cuddling up watching the tv or watching a film. but chemicals do come into play when you proper fall for somebody, you never know when love will strike you or when you fall in love with somebody, it could hit you at any moment of your life, with anybody.... soo when you can have a type of person you prefer, at the end of the day you can't help who your heart falls for.

I agree with Seedy on this one, Love is more than a chemical reaction, it a feeling, a very strong one that the soul feels, it uncontrollable and feeling. it a feeling that never goes, it when every moment of everyday all that you think about is that one person that you given your heart to. is when simple things like giving a hug or even talking can give you the best feelings that you will ever feel in your life, and it a feeling that you never want to lose. it when your soul has picked that one person that you want to be with for the rest of your life. I wasn't even looking for a girlfriend or a relationship, I was taking a break from them after all the bad relationships I had in the past, but even after all that, I met sarah and fallen in love, so love is more than a chemical reaction, t something that lives in the soul for me

 

[Sepalcure]

I don't think it's a purely chemical reaction. Certainly there have been a myriad of tests performed over the years and extensive research done on this theory -- that love has a chemical facet. There's significant evidence that the release of oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin directly correlate with a person "falling" for someone, like there's spikes of those chemicals being produced and released into various areas of the brain (the posterior dorsal caudate is one such area). Thus one will feel euphoric and immensely aroused and experience feelings of "being up in the clouds" when they fall in love. However I think the chemical aspects of it stop there. When it concerns one's preferences for a member of the opposite sex, chemicals don't directly affect that. You could link those preferences to biological factors -- so in essence, my experiences for example, directly correlate to what sexually and romantically attracts me to the opposite sex. I tend to like darker-haired guys and I'm impartial to men with lighter eyes ... why? Biological factors, it's my preference, it's what arouses me and what I happen to like. That's not to say that every dark-haired and light-eyed guy I come across will be the object of my affection. Biological factors also affect my preference when it comes to these guys' personalities. I don't like quieter men, I'm more attracted to someone who's more assertive and fun-loving. Serious guys with a lack of humor, for example, turn me off. Those little nuances and preferences are affected, in my opinion, by what we're exposed to, what we have developed a tolerance and intolerance for. Love is much deeper than the black and white spectrums of science, there are gradients of gray that simply cannot be explained by the technical static of science.

 

[Davey Gaga]

At the end of the day everything in life comes down to chemical reactions - just typing this thread induced a million of them so yes, in essence it's just a chemical reactions. As humans, however, we're so much more complex than just being able to be manipulated by chemicals; our behaviours, thoughts and feelings are our own. Although there are biochemical determinants of how we go about life it's not possible just to say "love it just a few REDOX reactions here and there".

 

[Catnip]

Both. Sure there's a feeling that drives us to want to be with a person, but as human beings, we're totally conscious about our actions and wants and needs. Unless of course you're not very insightful and just accept that you don't understand what's going on and don't care. Which is fine too.

 

[Coco]

I agree, there are hormones that dictate compatibility and attraction between two people. There are scientific studies backing that up. Although to say that chemicals are solely the reason, I don't believe so. There are factors like proximity, communication, etc which can make or break that feeling.

The spark could be there, but if you never act on it, it won't lead to anything. I think it takes effort and time, not just chemical reactions between two people. It is important too but I'd say it's about 80-30.

 

[kratoscar2008]

I think its mental, you may had heard the term "waifu" (husbando for girls) wich is essentially you think a fictional character as your wife (Mine is Dizzy from GG), where people "fall in love" with them.

Here the object of love doesnt liberate any chimical essences but people love the characterization (ie personality) of the character wich applies too to real people, you may feel atracted toward a person but in the end is how you perceive a person and wether or not meet your ideals wich will determine if you love a character/person or not.

Its all in our heads.

 

[Shu]

There are factors like proximity, communication, etc which can make or break that feeling.

The spark could be there, but if you never act on it, it won't lead to anything. I think it takes effort and time, not just chemical reactions between two people. It is important too but I'd say it's about 80-30.

I agree with this. I've seen people have all the pull in the world chemically. The endorphins kick on in the beginning of their relationship. They go out, enjoy each others' company and eventually get intimate. They kiss and sparks fly further, and then have well you know. The only thing is.. the relationship stays in a very controlled state, which after an amount of time, your brain sort of expects the norm. The norm turns into a rut for some, and a safety net for others.

It's the ability to maintain a relationship and insert random events and always make the person feel appreciated, sexy, and so on, that gets hard.

I think relationship high at the beginning is the biggest high that a human can feel. When people compliment each other in such a way, that just the thought of them brings them a smile or trumps their bad day..

The only thing is.. throughout a relationship a lot of people are trying to feel that same high they felt the first time with each other. That's when things could make or break the couple. That's where the monogamists are separated from the polygamists.