From the Editor
Love and Chemistry
Luis Ayala
Did you hear the joke about the biologist and the physicist who went out on a date? Well, things didn’t work out, there was no chemistry between them!
Joking aside, the field of chemistry is responsible for studying how different substances interact with each other, often resulting in behavioral modifications as well. Let’s take a look at some of the chemical puppeteers that pull our emotional strings behind the curtains: dopamine, serotonin and adrenaline.
Dopamine is a type of monoamine neurotransmitter. It’s made in your brain and acts as a chemical messenger, sending information between nerve cells within your brain and also between your brain and the rest of your body. It has been documented that dopamine levels in the brain increase when you’re in love, resulting in feelings of pleasure. We like these feelings (some suggest we are addicted to them), so we are conditioned to repeat the behaviors that lead to the additional release of dopamine.
Serotonin is another monoamine neurotransmitter. It also carries messages between nerve cells in your central nervous system and throughout your peripheral nervous system. These chemical messages basically tell your body how to work: serotonin plays several roles in your body, including influencing learning, memory, happiness as well as regulating body temperature, sleep, sexual behavior and hunger. Low levels of serotonin are thought to play a role in depression, anxiety, mania and other health conditions.
Adrenaline (aka epinephrine) is a hormone your adrenal glands send through your bloodstream. When you’re suddenly scared, stressed or excited, adrenaline is quickly sent into your body. Adrenaline dilates your pupils, temporarily improving your vision, it also decreases your sensitivity to pain and increases your heart rate, blood flow and alertness. It is no accident that these are some of the same descriptions people give when asked to define what being in love feels like.The next time you feel loved, take a few moments to recognize chemistry’s magical hand at play, as your brain mixes, shakes and pours the perfect cocktail of neurotransmitters and hormones, designed to transport you to cloud nine!
Cheers!
Luis Ayala,
Editor and Publisher
http://www.linkedin.com/in/rumconsultant