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Love chemicals uncovered
8 January 2009
A researcher who has been busy investigating the brain chemicals involved in emotional attachment may have uncovered the secret of love.
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While Larry Young's experiment has been conducted using prairie voles, the chemical that is produced by the rodents to make them bond with their partner is also found in humans.
Mr Young found that the female would produce oxytocin if she was put with a male partner and that if her natural levels of the chemical were removed, she would reject the male as a mate.
Writing in the journal Nature, Mr Young observed: "Experiments have shown that a nasal squirt of oxytocin enhances trust and tunes people into others' emotions."
He observed that there are already products on the market that use a mixture of oxytocin and pheromones, which are "designed to boost the dating and relationship area of your life".
The researcher believes that love may not be based on one chemical reaction, but he is convinced it is biological and said that "love in humans has evolved to draw us together".
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