So now we don’t call it broken hearted anymore, but brain damaged..and the songs "Going out of my head (over you)" and "Head over heels" makes sense after all.
Philippine Star: February 13, 2009
WASHINGTON – Like any young woman in love, Bianca Acevedo has exchanged Valentine hearts with her fiancé.
But the New York neuroscientist knows better. The source of love is in the head, not the heart.
She is one of the researchers in a relatively new field focused on explaining the biology of romantic love. And the unpoetic explanation is that love mostly can be understood through brain images, hormones and genetics.
That seems to be the case for the newly in love, the long in love and the brokenhearted.
“It has a biological basis. We know some of the key players,” said Larry Young of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University in Atlanta. There, he studies the brains of an unusual monogamous rodent to get a better clue about what goes on in the minds of people in love.
In humans, there are four tiny areas of the brain that some researchers say form a circuit of love.
Acevedo, who works at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, is part of a team that has isolated those regions with the unromantic names of ventral tegmental area (VTA), the nucleus accumbens, the ventral pallidum and raphe nucleus.
The hot spot is the teardrop-shaped VTA. When people newly in love were put in a functional magnetic resonance imaging machine and shown pictures of their beloved, the VTA lit up. Same for people still madly in love after 20 years.
The VTA is part of a key reward system in the brain.
“These are cells that make dopamine and send it to different brain regions,” said Helen Fisher, a researcher and professor at Rutgers University. “This part of the system becomes activated because you’re trying to win life’s greatest prize – a mating partner.”
One of the research findings isn’t so complimentary: Love works chemically in the brain like a drug addiction.
“Romantic love is an addiction; a wonderful addiction when it is going well, a horrible one when it is going poorly,” Fisher said.
“People kill for love. They die for love.”
The connection to addiction “sounds terrible,” Acevedo acknowledged. “Love is supposed to be something wonderful and grand, but it has its reasons. The reason I think is to keep us together.”
But sometimes love does not keep us together. So the scientists studied the brains of the recently heartbroken and found additional activity in the nucleus accumbens, which is even more strongly associated with addiction.
“The brokenhearted show more evidence of what I’ll call craving,” said Lucy Brown, a neuroscientist also at Einstein medical college. “Similar to craving the drug cocaine.”
The team’s most recent brain scans were aimed at people married about 20 years who say they are still holding hands, lovey-dovey as newlyweds, a group that is a minority of married people. In these men and women, two more areas of the brain lit up, along with the VTA: the ventral pallidum and raphe nucleus.
The ventral pallidum is associated with attachment and hormones that decrease stress; the raphe nucleus pumps out serotonin, which “gives you a sense of calm,” Fisher said.
Those areas produce “a feeling of nothing wrong. It’s lower-level happiness and it’s certainly rewarding,” Brown said.
The scientists say they study the brain in love just to understand how it works, as well as for more potentially practical uses.
The research could eventually lead to pills based on the brain hormones which, with therapy, might help troubled relationships, although there are ethical issues, Young said. His bonding research is primarily part of a larger effort aimed at understanding and possibly treating social-interaction conditions such as autism. And Fisher is studying brain chemistry that could explain why certain people are attracted to each other. She’s using it as part of a popular Internet matchmaking service for which she is the scientific adviser.
While the recent brain research is promising, University of Hawaii psychology professor Elaine Hatfield cautions that too much can be made of these studies alone. She said they need to be meshed with other work from traditional psychologists.
Brain researchers are limited because there is only so much they can do to humans without hurting them. That’s where the prairie vole – a chubby, short-tailed mouse like creature – comes in handy. Only 5 percent of mammals more or less bond for life, but prairie voles do, Young said.
Scientists studied voles to figure out what makes bonding possible. In females, the key bonding hormone is oxytocin, also produced in both voles and humans during childbirth, Young said.
When scientists blocked oxytocin receptors, the female prairie voles didn’t bond.
In males, it’s vasopressin. Young put vasopressin receptors into the brains of meadow voles – a promiscuous cousin of the prairie voles – and “those guys who should never, ever bond with a female, bonded with a female.”
Researchers also uncovered a genetic variation in a few male prairie voles that are not monogamous – and found it in some human males, too.
Those men with the variation ranked lower on an emotional bonding scale, reported more marital problems, and their wives had more concerns about their level of attachment, said Hasse Walum, a biology researcher in Sweden. It was a small but noticeable difference, Walum said.
Scientists figure they now know better how to keep those love circuits lit and the chemicals flowing.
Young said that romantic love theoretically can be simulated with chemicals, but “if you really want to get the relationship spark back, then engage in the behavior that stimulates the release of these molecules and allow them to stimulate the emotions,” he said. That would be hugging, kissing, intimate contact.
“My wife tells me that flowers work as well. I don’t know for sure,” Young said. “As a scientist it’s hard to see how it stimulates the circuits, but I do know they seem to have an effect. And the absence of them seems to have an effect as well.” - AP
HAPPY VALENTINE'S TO ALL!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES FOR RELATIONSHIPS
In the spirit of Valentine's I'd like to share an investment advice we all could use, over an investment we all make sometime in our lives. just like other investments this is not risk-free, however the rewards more than make up for the consequence and risk by a wide margin, and this one is not dictated by the financial markets (sub-prime be damned)
From Slot Machine to Stock Market: Investment Strategies for Relationships
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
In the early years of my career, I did not have a correct view of life. I approached life as if it were a slot machine. I wanted to put as little as possible into it, and I always hoped to hit the jackpot. I'm embarrassed to say that I often had a similar approach in my interaction with people. I was more focused on what people could do for me than what I could do for them. As a result, I would try to make relational "withdrawals" without ever having made any deposits. Needless to say, I was not very successful.
As I matured, I begin to place a higher value on people. As I made this transition, I noticed a fascinating development: the more I gave to relationships, the more I seemed to gain from relationships. In my book, Winning With People, I named this phenomenon The Boomerang Principle. What you put into relationships has a way of coming back to you.
During my time in leadership, I've noticed that people fall into three broad categories with regards to how they view relationships.
1) Takers
Takers receive and never give. They are the people in life who have a me-first mentality. They try to extract as much as they can from the relationships in their lives, and they rarely, if ever, consider giving back.
2) Traders
Traders receive and then give. Traders will only send you a Christmas card, if you've mailed one to them. They picture relationships as an equation in need of balance. If someone helps them, they feel a debt of gratitude. If they aid another person, they expect a favor in return.
3) Investors
Investors give and then receive. These are the people who give purely for the joy of giving. They add value to others, not as part of a cold calculation, but as a habit. Although doing so may not earn them an instant return, in the long run they reap the gratitude and goodwill of those they have helped.
Investment Strategies for Relationships
Instead of viewing relationships as a slot machine, picture them like the stock market. To get rich, make regular deposits in people over an extended period of time. At first, you may feel like the value of what you're putting in isn't worth the investment. However, like the stock market, in the long run, you'll reap dividends and earn rewards.
1) Think "Others First"
Human nature tends to focus us on personal needs, but investing in relationships requires us to prioritize others. Instead of self-advancement, think others-enhancement. Like a responsible investor, resist the temptation to "time" the relational market, using someone only for short-term gain. That's a strategy doomed to fail. On the contrary, make a habit of adding value in relationships and trust that the long-term results will be in your favor.
2) Focus on the Investment, Not the Return
If you've ever purchased stocks personally, then you know the agony of watching the vicissitudes of the market. Like a roller coaster, your portfolio climbs up one day only to lurch down the next day. Instead of agonizing over returns, a shrewd investor focuses on making the investment. The same principle holds true in relationships. Don't expect specific and immediate benefit from your relational inputs. Through time, you'll be taken care of as long as you're willing to invest.
3) Make Educated Investments
Not all investments yield the same interest, and not all relationships produce the same reward. As a leader, make investing in others a general principle, but be deliberate about putting energy into low-risk, high-reward relationships. Seek out talented people with teachable dispositions, and offer your relational capital to those who will make the most of it.
4) Initiate the investment
A stockbroker won't hack into your bank account and invest money on your behalf. You have to be willing to take the first step. Don't be stingy with your relational investments, giving only to those who've first given to you. Rather, take responsibility for setting the tone of adding value in your relationships.
From Slot Machine to Stock Market: Investment Strategies for Relationships
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
In the early years of my career, I did not have a correct view of life. I approached life as if it were a slot machine. I wanted to put as little as possible into it, and I always hoped to hit the jackpot. I'm embarrassed to say that I often had a similar approach in my interaction with people. I was more focused on what people could do for me than what I could do for them. As a result, I would try to make relational "withdrawals" without ever having made any deposits. Needless to say, I was not very successful.
As I matured, I begin to place a higher value on people. As I made this transition, I noticed a fascinating development: the more I gave to relationships, the more I seemed to gain from relationships. In my book, Winning With People, I named this phenomenon The Boomerang Principle. What you put into relationships has a way of coming back to you.
During my time in leadership, I've noticed that people fall into three broad categories with regards to how they view relationships.
1) Takers
Takers receive and never give. They are the people in life who have a me-first mentality. They try to extract as much as they can from the relationships in their lives, and they rarely, if ever, consider giving back.
2) Traders
Traders receive and then give. Traders will only send you a Christmas card, if you've mailed one to them. They picture relationships as an equation in need of balance. If someone helps them, they feel a debt of gratitude. If they aid another person, they expect a favor in return.
3) Investors
Investors give and then receive. These are the people who give purely for the joy of giving. They add value to others, not as part of a cold calculation, but as a habit. Although doing so may not earn them an instant return, in the long run they reap the gratitude and goodwill of those they have helped.
Investment Strategies for Relationships
Instead of viewing relationships as a slot machine, picture them like the stock market. To get rich, make regular deposits in people over an extended period of time. At first, you may feel like the value of what you're putting in isn't worth the investment. However, like the stock market, in the long run, you'll reap dividends and earn rewards.
1) Think "Others First"
Human nature tends to focus us on personal needs, but investing in relationships requires us to prioritize others. Instead of self-advancement, think others-enhancement. Like a responsible investor, resist the temptation to "time" the relational market, using someone only for short-term gain. That's a strategy doomed to fail. On the contrary, make a habit of adding value in relationships and trust that the long-term results will be in your favor.
2) Focus on the Investment, Not the Return
If you've ever purchased stocks personally, then you know the agony of watching the vicissitudes of the market. Like a roller coaster, your portfolio climbs up one day only to lurch down the next day. Instead of agonizing over returns, a shrewd investor focuses on making the investment. The same principle holds true in relationships. Don't expect specific and immediate benefit from your relational inputs. Through time, you'll be taken care of as long as you're willing to invest.
3) Make Educated Investments
Not all investments yield the same interest, and not all relationships produce the same reward. As a leader, make investing in others a general principle, but be deliberate about putting energy into low-risk, high-reward relationships. Seek out talented people with teachable dispositions, and offer your relational capital to those who will make the most of it.
4) Initiate the investment
A stockbroker won't hack into your bank account and invest money on your behalf. You have to be willing to take the first step. Don't be stingy with your relational investments, giving only to those who've first given to you. Rather, take responsibility for setting the tone of adding value in your relationships.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE AND LIES
In the spirit of the season of love, let's be amusing for a while....
It helps to be deluded when you are in love, according to scientists who study how humans mate. Men and women are “designed to misconstrue, misread and misunderstand each other.” And this is good. For one, delusion helps us avoid costly mating errors. Men over-estimate women’s interest in them, so to avoid not seeing what is there (false-negative errors). We can’t afford to pass up a woman who might be interested, so we assume all women are interested. On the other hand, women overestimate men’s interest in casual sex.
They need to avoid their “false-positive errors,” Because of women’s greater investment in reproduction; their safest strategy is to be cautious and to assume ALL MEN ARE JERKS! Men and women lie to each other when they are interested, but the lies women tell tend to make them seem more faithful (that lying bitch!) while men lie about wealth or their interest in a long-term commitment.(watta jerk!) Delusion helps us stay together, too. We believe our beloved is somehow special (definitely) and our exes are all duds. (aren’t they?) The more we believe our delusions, the happier we will be, according to anthropologist Helen Fisher. So, go ahead..fool yourself and be happy. HAPPY VALENTINE'S
Source:
Men’sHealth Magazine August 2007
It helps to be deluded when you are in love, according to scientists who study how humans mate. Men and women are “designed to misconstrue, misread and misunderstand each other.” And this is good. For one, delusion helps us avoid costly mating errors. Men over-estimate women’s interest in them, so to avoid not seeing what is there (false-negative errors). We can’t afford to pass up a woman who might be interested, so we assume all women are interested. On the other hand, women overestimate men’s interest in casual sex.
They need to avoid their “false-positive errors,” Because of women’s greater investment in reproduction; their safest strategy is to be cautious and to assume ALL MEN ARE JERKS! Men and women lie to each other when they are interested, but the lies women tell tend to make them seem more faithful (that lying bitch!) while men lie about wealth or their interest in a long-term commitment.(watta jerk!) Delusion helps us stay together, too. We believe our beloved is somehow special (definitely) and our exes are all duds. (aren’t they?) The more we believe our delusions, the happier we will be, according to anthropologist Helen Fisher. So, go ahead..fool yourself and be happy. HAPPY VALENTINE'S
Source:
Men’sHealth Magazine August 2007
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