Episode 09: The Science of Romantic Love
Episode 9 of M3CS’s Contemplative Science Podcast saw Dr Lucy Brown come on to the podcast to talk about her research on the neuroscience of love.
For the full podcast, check out the episode here.
In this episode, we cover...
The different parts of the brain activated at different stages of a relationship.
The neuroscientific comparisons between drug addiction and love.
Why you should get to know yourself to find fulfilling love.
Dr Lucy Brown is a neuroscientist and clincical professor in neurology at Einstein College of Medicine, New York. Co-founder of The Anatomy of Love, her work focuses on the intersection of love, neuroscience and meditation.
Here are some of the key insights from the conversation...
Early stage romantic love is an intense period, mirrored in the brain’s activity.
”Romantic love, that early stage, is an obsession with another person. It’s the desire for emotional union with another person. A feeling that you want to become part of the other person.”
Her experiments into the neuroscience of love can yield unexpected results.
“One of the positive things about it, that I wouldn't have necessarily predicted but that we saw, is that people are working on re-evaluating the situation. There are parts of the brain that we know that do work on reassessing negative situations and those parts of the brain were active for the people who were heartbroken and looking at the face of their former partner.”
Every individual is unique - this applies to love as well!
“For those who never fall in love, whether it's for their own protection... what the human race has survived well with is variety. Some people are not going to succumb in any way to much attachment. Maybe that's a good thing. It's part of their human experience.”
The best place to find Dr Lucy Brown is here.
See you next week!
