Why do people seem to fall in and out of love so easily?
It comes down to one chemical: dopamine.
Dopamine plays many roles in the brain: addiction, disease, and disorders. From a survival point-of-view, the brain has developed to help humans attain things for survival. Desire, planning and motivation help us get what we don’t have. Dopamine drives us to seek love or become addicted for short-term pleasure.
What’s Love Got to Do With It?
Dopamine fuels the “honeymoon phase” of love. Passionate love lasts 12 to 18 months. Oxytocin takes over and develops companionate love, turning the relationship into something more. The transition from passionate to companionate love can be difficult, and many mistake it as falling out of love.
Affairs can stem from dopamine stimulation. Dopamine promises a certain feeling when the hookup is attained, but reality doesn’t deliver on dopamine’s promises.
Listen as Dr. Daniel Lieberman joins Dr. Susanne Bennett to discuss how dopamine aids survival yet can hinder one’s love life.
Your Brain on Dopamine
How does dopamine influence your actions?
Additional Info
- Segment Number: 1
- Audio File: wellness_for_life/wl367.mp3
- Featured Speaker: Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD
- Book Title: The Molecule of More
- Guest Website: The Molecule of More
- Guest Facebook Account: www.facebook.com/MoleculeofMore
- Guest Twitter Account: @MoleculeOfMore
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Guest Bio:
Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD, is professor and vice chair for clinical affairs in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University. Dr. Lieberman is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a recipient of the Caron Foundation Research Award, and he has published over 50 scientific reports on behavioral science. He has provided insight on psychiatric issues for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the US Department of Commerce, and the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy, and has discussed mental health in interviews on CNN, C-SPAN, and PBS.
Dr. Lieberman studied the Great Books at St. John’s College. He received his medical degree and completed his psychiatric training at New York University. - Length (mins): 24:19
- Waiver Received: No
- Host: Dr. Susanne Bennett
Published in
Wellness for Life