People live interconnected with each other, creating and breaking almost daily links with the rest of society. However, since we are born, we develop a certain attachment to certain people, whether they are our fathers, mothers, our closest friends or our partners.
But, although we are aware of this union with them, many times we do not know that this is caused by a series of chemical changes produced by our own brain. That is why from Bigmatrimonial, we want you to know a little more about that hormone that allows us to create strong bonds with those around us, allowing us to develop pleasant feelings towards them. We want to introduce you to the love hormone.
What’s the name of the love hormone?
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The name of the love hormone is oxytocin. I am sure that many of you will hear this name, because this hormone is responsible for inducing labor in women. However, apart from this function, it has many others, some of which are still unknown by researchers.
If it is true that it is known that oxytocin is in charge of making us connect with others, that is, the one that allows us to create the bond of affection with other people. In addition, it helps in the process of reproduction and lactation, so it could be said that oxytocin is present in all the different forms of love that exist.
This neurohormone is linked to the feeling of trust, that is, it is the hormone that allows us to consider others as friends and not see them as possible threats. This hormone has aphrodisiac effects and regulates all the emotional activities of the human being.
However, it should be noted that some studies also include vasopressin within the love hormones.
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Why oxytocin is the love hormone
Oxytocin is considered a very important hormonal source in motivation, as it allows a third coping response beyond the usual “fight or flight” response, which consists of seeking support, advice and care from other people during moments of stress.
In addition to being known as a love hormone, it is also important to know that it is known as a hormone of care and friendship, because apart from being activated in front of those people for whom we are attracted, it is also activated in those most stressful moments to encourage us to seek help in our friends and trusted people.
This is considered as the love hormone mainly because it has the ability to produce in the person who releases it a feeling of well-being, relaxation and happiness when they are in the presence of a person for whom they feel a certain attachment bond.
It has also been observed how during sexual intercourse, when people reach orgasm, the levels of vasopressin (in men) and oxytocin (in women) are increased, which results in a feeling / sensation of attachment to the other person.
How the crush hormone is produced
Oxytocin originates from the hypothalamus and is secreted from the pituitary. It is a peptide composed of nine amino acids. Inside the hypothalamus we find a series of nuclei and specifically the hormone of oxytocin is produced by the paraventricular nucleus.
The pituitary, for its part, is the main secretory gland in our body, also known as the pituitary gland. This is connected to the hypothalamus through the infundibulum. It is divided into two distinct parts, the adenohypophysis and the neurohypophysis. This second is of interest to us as it functions as the neural tissue of certain nuclei, in this case the paraventricular one, and helps the secretion and release of oxytocin.
Oxytocin functions
Next, I leave you a list with those main functions of oxytocin:
- Sexual arousal.
- Establishment of couple ties.
- Creation of maternal ties.
- Confidence increase and social fear reduction.
- Increased empathy.
- Reduction of withdrawal symptoms.
- Preparation of fetal neurons for delivery.
How long does the love hormone last
This feeling of excitement and attachment within a love relationship can be considered to have the same duration as the infatuation phase, so we could venture to indicate that it has a maximum duration of two or three years. It is at this point that couples tend to feel a decrease in the bond they have created with the other person.
But, it should not be forgotten, that oxytocin is not only released in attachment bonds with the people we are in love with, but it is also released with those people with whom we share an emotional bond, whether parental-filial or of friendship.
This article is merely informative, in Bigmatrimonial we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.