Defining the Brain Systems of Lust, Romantic Attraction, and Attachment
Abstract
Mammals and birds have evolved three primary, discrete, interrelated emotion-motivation systems in the brain for mating, reproduction, and parenting: lust, attraction, and male-female attachment. Each emotion-motivation system is associated with a specific constellation of neural correlates and a distinct behavioral repertoire. Lust evolved to initiate the mating process with any appropriate partner; attraction evolved to enable individuals to choose among and prefer specific mating partners, thereby conserving their mating time and energy; male-female attachment evolved to enable individuals to cooperate with a reproductive mate until species-specific parental duties have been completed. The evolution of these three emotion-motivation systems contribute to contemporary patterns of marriage, adultery, divorce, remarriage, stalking, homicide and other crimes of passion, and clinical depression due to romantic rejection. This article defines these three emotion-motivation systems. Then it discusses an ongoing project using functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain to investigate the neural circuits associated with one of these emotion-motivation systems, romantic attraction.
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Underlying human love is a set of basic brain systems for lust, attraction, and attachment that have evolved among mammals.
“Underlying human love is a set of basic brain systems for lust, attraction, and attachment that have evolved among mammals.”
From Natural Selection, Childrearing, and the Ethics of Marriage (and Divorce): Building a Case for the Neuroenhancement of Human Relationships (2012) · cites this paper as Fisher et al. 2002
The lust system promotes mating with a range of promising partners.
“The lust system promotes mating with a range of promising partners;”
From Natural Selection, Childrearing, and the Ethics of Marriage (and Divorce): Building a Case for the Neuroenhancement of Human Relationships (2012) · cites this paper as Fisher et al. 2002
The attachment system fosters long-term bonding, encouraging couples to cooperate and stay together until their parental duties have been discharged.
“and the attachment system fosters long-term bonding, encouraging couples to cooperate and stay together until their parental duties have been discharged (Fisher 1998; Fisher et al. 2002).”
From Natural Selection, Childrearing, and the Ethics of Marriage (and Divorce): Building a Case for the Neuroenhancement of Human Relationships (2012) · cites this paper as Fisher et al. 2002
The attraction system guides us to choose and prefer a particular partner.
“the attraction system guides us to choose and prefer a particular partner;”
From Natural Selection, Childrearing, and the Ethics of Marriage (and Divorce): Building a Case for the Neuroenhancement of Human Relationships (2012) · cites this paper as Fisher et al. 2002
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- Authors
- Fisher, H. E., Aron, A., Mashek, D., Li, H., & Brown, L. L.
- Affiliations
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Stony Brook University (US)
- State University of New York (US)
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Fisher, Helen E.
- Venue
- Archives of Sexual Behavior
- Published
- 2002-10
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 413-419
- ISSN
- 0004-0002 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-2800
- OpenAlex
- W2129018677
- Cited by
- 317
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 28 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 9.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Archives of Sexual Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Keywords
- lust, romantic attraction, attachment, mating behavior, parental behavior, neural circuits, brain evolution, passion crime, romantic rejection, depression, functional MRI
- MeSH terms
- Affect, Brain, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Libido, Love, Male, Object Attachment, Receptors, Adrenergic, Receptors, Dopamine, Receptors, Serotonin, Sexual Behavior
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