> I'm finally feeling better, and more importantly, so is my son! > > Last week, I wrote [a story about a mage who becomes so powerful he becomes essentially a god](https://eleanorkonik.com/breeder/) %% ( [[2022-06-01 Breeder]] ) %%. He's very good at manipulating biology — later known as The Realmwalker, Savali is the guy who created the [lactating egglayers](https://eleanorkonik.com/lactating-egglayers/) I've been [writing so much about lately](https://eleanorkonik.com/semblance/). In the pre-history of Verraine, he discovers the secrets of love and immortality. > > To make sure that was plausible, I wanted to know more about the chemistry of love. ## Quick Facts - Injecting adrenocorticotrophic and melanocyte-stimulating peptides into the brains of laboratory mammal makes them stretch and yawn repeatedly. It also [sexually excites them](https://doi.org/10.1038/221667a0), which feels like a weird overlap... - Synthetic oxytocin (the "cuddle" hormone) can be administered via a simple nasal spray. It [makes people less stressed out](https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/973599/) when they're socially snubbed (which bothers women more than men, by the way). It also dampens the startle reflex and [decreases jealousy](https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881121991576). - Women in love are [more fertile](https://doi.org10.3390/ijerph16214224), experiencing lower free testosterone levels and higher follicle-stimulating hormone levels. - People in the [early romantic phase of a love relationship](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291798007946) have a lot in common with people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. - Species who secrete oxytocin are typically _[broadly](https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.1675)_ [cooperative](https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.1675), rather than independently evolving individual ways of cooperating on individual points; it's hard to chemically induce "just" falling in love. ## Vaccines & Antidotes A "cure for love" has been sought for thousands of years; ancient philosophers and doctors prescribed bloodletting, exercise, and phlebotomies for "lovesick" individuals. It sounds silly (the [research paper](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15265161.2013.839752) literally references _Harry Potter_), but modern neuroscience and psychopharmacology are getting close to figuring out how to make it real. Anti-androgen drugs (think "chemical castration") are just the beginning; one goal is to find a way to help people leaving abusive relationships to stop loving their former partners. Other possibilities include a "love vaccine" to help seminary students keep from falling in love inappropriately. ## A Mammal Thing Although mammals aren't the only creatures able to form life-long pair bonds — [birds are actually](https://www.purplemartin.org/uploads/media/16-2-matechoicepairb-348.pdf) _[more](https://www.purplemartin.org/uploads/media/16-2-matechoicepairb-348.pdf)_ [likely to pair bond](https://www.purplemartin.org/uploads/media/16-2-matechoicepairb-348.pdf) — we're the only ones who produce oxytocin. It evolved from nonapeptides found in all vertabrates and some invertebrates; they impact spawning, courtship, copulation and egg-laying. These chemicals are useful for helping provide the [emotional control necessary for successful reproduction and related social interactions](https://www.nature.com/articles/nm0204-122). Oxytocin activity in the brains of infant mammals (stimulated by things like mothers licking and kissing their babies) impacts how the neurochemical systems regulating adult social behavior develop. ## Proxy Lovers Prairie voles are the preferred rodent proxy for studying pair bonding in humans. Monogamously mated prairie vole males [injected with a dopamine blocker](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15265161.2013.839752#) stopped trying to guard their mates and became a lot more willing to mate with new females. Scientists injected arginine vasopressin (a neuropetide also relevant for mother-child bonding) into the lateral septum of the brain, which [caused the prairie voles to form partner preferences](https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.45.1.35). They also managed to block pair bonding by injecting drugs to keep the relevant receptors from getting the relevant chemicals. ## Pathologizing Life Bioethicists are already having [debates about the medicalization of love](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-quarterly-of-healthcare-ethics/article/medicalization-of-love/741768AA189073B1CD090479E33C6343), and most of the articles are depressingly vague and wishy-washy when it comes to policy implications. "Could plausibly be expected to have either good or bad consequences depending upon how it unfolds" is my favorite mealy-mouthed phrase, although it's coming from an article that's explicitly in favor of chemical interference in love (which is [not just theoretical](https://journals.lww.com/co-psychiatry/Abstract/2013/09000/Could_intranasal_oxytocin_be_used_to_enhance.10.aspx)!). Arguments seem to be along the same lines as the "over-prescription of Prozac for depression is the medicalization of misery" and "over-prescription of Ritalin in stubborn boys is the medicalization of childhood" debates. --- 📗 If you found this interesting, make sure you also read the edition about how [hunting impacts testosterone levels](https://eleanorkonik.com/hunting/) %% ( [[2022-05-02 Hunting (DRAFT)]] ) %%. 💚 If you learned something from this overview, consider forwarding it to a friend and encouraging them to [sign up](https://eleanorkonik.com/membership/) for more overviews of my research into obscure history and science. 💉 Do you have an opinion about the medicalization of life & love? Please reach out — I'd love to hear about it, either via email or in [a comment](https://eleanorkonik.com/love/#cove-comments) %% ( [[2022-06-06 Love (DRAFT)]] ) %% where other readers can see.