Romantic love: an fMRI study of a neural mechanism for mate choice.
Abstract
Scientists have described myriad traits in mammalian and avian species that evolved to attract mates. But the brain mechanisms by which conspecifics become attracted to these traits is largely unknown. Yet mammals and birds express mate preferences and make mate choices, and data suggest that this "attraction system" is associated with the dopaminergic reward system. It has been proposed that intense romantic love, a cross-cultural universal, is a developed form of this attraction system. To determine the neural mechanisms associated with romantic love we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and studied 17 people who were intensely "in love" (Aron et al. [2005] J Neurophysiol 94:327-337). Activation specific to the beloved occurred in the right ventral tegmental area and right caudate nucleus, dopamine-rich areas associated with mammalian reward and motivation. These and other results suggest that dopaminergic reward pathways contribute to the "general arousal" component of romantic love; romantic love is primarily a motivation system, rather than an emotion; this drive is distinct from the sex drive; romantic love changes across time; and romantic love shares biobehavioral similarities with mammalian attraction. We propose that this attraction mechanism evolved to enable individuals to focus their mating energy on specific others, thereby conserving energy and facilitating mate choice-a primary aspect of reproduction. Last, the corticostriate system, with its potential for combining diverse cortical information with reward signals, is an excellent anatomical substrate for the complex factors contributing to romantic love and mate choice.
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The brain-level attachment system is maintained in large part by the neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin.
“Our particular focus will be on the brain-level attachment system [30], maintained (in large part) by the neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin [31, 32].”
From Could intranasal oxytocin be used to enhance relationships? Research imperatives, clinical policy, and ethical considerations (2013) · cites this paper as [32]
When individuals view images of their romantic partner or have romantic thoughts about their partner, the NAc and VTA are recruited.
“When individuals view images of their romantic partner or have romantic thoughts about their partner, the NAc and VTA are recruited [46,74].”
From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [74]
fMRI studies on bonding and love in humans consistently implicate DA-rich reward regions, similar to findings in prairie voles.
“fMRI studies on bonding and love in humans provide further insights into the regions driving these social experiences and consistently implicate DA-rich reward regions, similar to findings in prairie voles (Figure 3b).”
From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [74]
Activations specific to beloved in dopamine-rich midbrain (right VTA) and caudate nucleus correlated with facial attractiveness scores.
“They also reported that activations specific to the beloved in dopamine-rich areas associated with mammalian reward and motivation areas of the midbrain (right ventral tegmental area) and caudate nucleus (right posterodorsal body and medial parts) correlated with facial attractiveness scores.”
From The human parental brain: In vivo neuroimaging (2011) · cites this paper as Fisher et al., 2005
Activity in left insula-putamen-globus pallidus correlated with trait affect intensity, whereas limbic and cortical regions correlated with length of time in love.
“Finally, activity in the left insula-putamenglobus pallidus correlated with trait affect intensity, whereas activity in limbic and cortical regions, including insula, cingulate parietal, inferior temporal and middle temporal cortex was correlated with the length of time in love.”
From The human parental brain: In vivo neuroimaging (2011) · cites this paper as Fisher et al., 2005
Aron, Fisher and colleagues replicated Bartels and Zeki's romantic love findings.
“They replicated the findings of Bartels and Zeki’s romantic love findings (Bartels and Zeki, 2000).”
From The human parental brain: In vivo neuroimaging (2011) · cites this paper as Fisher et al., 2005
Activation in right anteromedial caudate correlated with intensity of romantic passion.
“Furthermore, activation in the right anteromedial caudate was correlated with questionnaire scores that quantified intensity of romantic passion for the individuals whose photographs were used as stimuli.”
From The human parental brain: In vivo neuroimaging (2011) · cites this paper as Fisher et al., 2005
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- Authors
- Fisher, H., Aron, A., & Brown, L. L.
- Affiliations
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Stony Brook University (US)
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Fisher, Helen
- Venue
- Journal of Comparative Neurology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2005-10-27
- Volume
- 493
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 58-62
- ISSN
- 0021-9967 (ISSN-L)
- 1096-9861
- OpenAlex
- W1974326010
- Cited by
- 396
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 76 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 4.46
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Comparative Neurology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Keywords
- romantic love, mate choice, mate attraction, dopaminergic reward system, ventral tegmental area, caudate nucleus, motivation, sexual desire
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Animals, Arousal, Brain, Brain Mapping, Choice Behavior, Courtship, Dopamine, Female, Humans, Love, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Motivation, Nervous System Physiological Phenomena, Reward
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