Helen Fisher of Rutgers University has proposed 3 stages of love: Lust, Attraction, and Attachment- each stage driven by its own hormones and chemicals.
Stage 1: Lust
Lust, the first stage of love, is driven by the sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen- in both men and women.
Stage 2: Attraction
Attraction, when you are truly love-struck and can think of little else. The three main neurotransmitters are involved in this stage; adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin.
Adrenaline- the initial stages of falling for someone activates your stress response increasing your blood levels of adrenalin and cortisol. This has the charming effect that when you unexpectedly bump into your new love, you start to sweat, your heart races, and your mouth goes dry.
Dopamine- this chemical stimulates desire and reward by triggering an intense rush of pleasure; it is also consistent in most drugs.
Serotonin- one of loves most important chemicals, may explain why when youre falling in love, your new lover keeps popping into your thoughts
Stage 3: Attachment
Attachment is the bond that keeps couples together long enough for them to have and raise children. Oxytocin and vasopressin are the two major hormones involved in this feeling.
Ocytocin- the cuddle hormone released by men and women during an orgasm. It deepens the feelings of attachment and makes couples feel much closer to one another after they have had sex, the theory goes that the more sex a couple has the deeper their bond becomes. It helps cement the strong bond between a mom and a child, as it is released during childbirth.
Vasopressing- released after sex, works with your kidneys to control thirst. It’s potential role in long term relationships is within the fact that it has been proven in animals to strengthen the bond of a relationship.
