Oxytocin, Vasopressin, Serotonin and Dopamine…But Is There a Pill That Can Keep Me From Falling In Love?

Reader’s Question

I’m a biological scientist. I’ve heard there’s some evidence that some people are more susceptible than others to falling in love. Supposedly, the reason for this is that they produce more oxytocin and vasopressin.

If all this is true, I wonder if there are any medicines that can either stop a person from falling too hopelessly in love in the first place or cure a person who has already fallen hard?

Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

While there has been a lot of research lately into the biological underpinnings of falling in love, there’s still a whole lot we don’t know about this age-old phenomenon. Some research suggests that falling deeply in love is biologically a lot like mental illness in that both obsessives and lovers often have serotonin levels 35-40% below normal. Other research suggest that a surge in dopamine levels is associated with passionate, romantic love. Research on the role of of oxytocin suggests it is involved in promoting the feeling of well-being and bonding that strengthens human connections and is especially released during hugs, kisses, orgasm, and even breastfeeding. Researchers at Penn State University have found that one allele of a common gene may play a pivotal role in whether males in a relationship remain in a cohesive bond with and stay faithful to their female partners. Still other studies have demonstrated the powerful role that smells and the actions of various pheromones have in attracting people to one another in the first place.

While there is an abundance of evidence that biological factors play a major role in physical attraction, none of the available research indicates that there is a simple biological explanation for why and how people fall in love. Besides that, there is abundant evidence that sociocultural factors as well as the “emotional preparedness” of the individual and a vast variety of other psychological factors heavily influence whether a person will fall in love, to whom they might be attracted, and how hard they might fall for the person.

There is also no known magic antidote that can prevent falling in love or help someone distance themselves from a person for whom they’ve fallen head over heels. Indeed, this is an age old “ailment” for which there appears no “cure.” Of course, for die-hard romantics, this is great news.O