Neural correlates of long-term intense romantic love

“More generally, the insula integrates information from various systems and engenders human awareness (Klein et al., 2007; Craig, 2009).”

“Since then, studies have applied attachment theory to adult romantic relationships (Hazan and Shaver, 1987; Mikulincer and Shaver, 2007) with some researchers suggesting that pair-bonds and parent–infant bonds share common biological substrates (Fisher, 1992; Carter, 1998).”

“Participants completed a battery of questionnaires including the Passionate Love Scale (Hatfield and Sprecher, 1986) and the Eros subscale of the Love Attitudes Scale (Hendrick and Hendrick, 1986) to measure passionate/romantic love; the IOS Scale (Aron et al., 1992) to measure closeness; and the 146 SCAN (2012) B.”

“Instructions were provided before and during scanning.”

“Some theories suggest that love inevitably declines over time in marriage or after the child-rearing years (Sternberg, 1986; Buss, 1989).”

“We anticipated activations in response to the partner in brain regions associated with attachment defined as a selective social/emotional bond (Bowlby, 1969).”

“Also, consistent with the definition of ‘including the other in the self’, IOS scores were positively associated with activation in areas reflecting self-referential processing, such as the middle insula and anterior cingulate (Northoff et al., 2006; Enzi et al., 2009, meta-analysis).”

“Some theories suggest that love inevitably declines over time in marriage or after the child-rearing years (Sternberg, 1986; Buss, 1989).”

“Other studies have shown the important role of the VTA and caudate nucleus in motivation, reinforcement learning and decision making (Delgado et al., 2003; O’Doherty et al., 2004; Carter et al., 2009).”

“For example, ‘felt security’ is proposed to be the set goal of the attachment system (Sroufe and Waters 1977).”

“OT and AVP have been shown to play a critical role in the regulation of social behaviors (Insel et al., 1994) and monogamous pair-bonding in rodent mammals (Young et al., 2001; Lim and Young, 2004; Young and Wang, 2004).”

“As shown in Table 1, regions commonly activated by maternal love (Bartels and Zeki, 2004; Strathearn et al., 2008), early-stage romantic love (Bartels and Zeki, 2000; Aron et al.”

“Since then, studies have applied attachment theory to adult romantic relationships (Hazan and Shaver, 1987; Mikulincer and Shaver, 2007) with some researchers suggesting that pair-bonds and parent–infant bonds share common biological substrates (Fisher, 1992; Carter, 1998).”

“Results are shown in Table 4.”

“, 2005) and it has been implicated in obsessive compulsive disorder (Menzies et al., 2008).”

“Overall, results suggest that for some individuals the reward-value associated with a long-term partner may be sustained, similar to new love, but also involves brain systems implicated in attachment and pair-bonding.”

“ROI analyses for brain-behavior correlations were based on results from studies of early-stage romantic love (Bartels and Zeki, 2000; Aron et al., 2005; Ortigue et al., 2007) and maternal love (Bartels and Zeki, 2004).”

“These activations are indicated with the superscript ‘e’ in Table 1 to highlight common activation for Partner and CF effects.”

“Participants completed a battery of questionnaires including the Passionate Love Scale (Hatfield and Sprecher, 1986) and the Eros subscale of the Love Attitudes Scale (Hendrick and Hendrick, 1986) to measure passionate/romantic love; the IOS Scale (Aron et al., 1992) to measure closeness; and the Downloaded from https…”

“, 1997; Napier and Mitrovic, 1999) and has been identified as a ‘hedonic hotspot’, mediating both ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’ for primary rewards (Berridge et al., 2010; Smith et al., 2010).”

“Instructions were provided before and during scanning.”

“It is widely accepted that activation of dopamine-rich sites, such as the VTA and caudate, are evoked in response to rewards such as food (Hare et al., 2008), monetary gains (Delgado et al., 2003; D’Ardenne et al., 2008; Carter et al., 2009), cocaine and alcohol (Heinz et al., 2004; Risinger et…”

“For example, the self-expansion model (Aron and Aron, 1986) proposes that romantic love is the experience of rapid self-expansion by including a particular person in the self (Aron et al., 1996).”

“…evoked in response to rewards such as food (Hare et al., 2008), monetary gains (Delgado et al., 2003; D’Ardenne et al., 2008; Carter et al., 2009), cocaine and alcohol (Heinz et al., 2004; Risinger et al., 2005) and overall highly motivational stimuli (Knutson and Greer, 2008; Carter et al., 2009).”

“Participants completed a battery of questionnaires including the Passionate Love Scale (Hatfield and Sprecher, 1986) and the Eros subscale of the Love Attitudes Scale (Hendrick and Hendrick, 1986) to measure passionate/romantic love; the IOS Scale (Aron et al., 1992) to measure closeness; and the Downloaded from https…”

“One implication of the model is that couples’ shared participation in novel and challenging activities, if not overly stressful, may promote increases in romantic love as the reward-value associated with the experience becomes associated with the relationship (Aron et al., 2000).”

“Although little is known about the posterior hippocampal region, some studies have shown increased activation in this area in association with hunger and food craving (LaBar et al., 2001; Pelchat et al., 2004), with particularly greater activity shown in obese individuals (Bragulat et al., 2010).”

“, 2008), monetary gains (Delgado et al., 2003; D’Ardenne et al., 2008; Carter et al., 2009), cocaine and alcohol (Heinz et al.”

“…by which humans and other mammals may enact behaviors that maintain (e.g. proximity maintenance and doing things to make the partner happy) and protect (rejection of unfamiliar conspecifics) their pair-bonds (Winslow et al., 1993; Carter et al., 1995; Wang et al., 1997; Aragona et al., 2003).”

“…posterior cingulate has been implicated in autobiographical memory retrieval such as when listening to familiar names (such as a spouse, parent or child) vs nonfamiliar person names (Maddock et al., 2001), or when viewing images of a familiar child vs an unfamiliar child (Leibenluft et al., 2004).”

“, 2008) and animal studies of pair-bonding (Young et al., 2001).”

“Activation of the hypothalamus is consistent with research implicating it in autonomic sexual arousal (Karama et al., 2002).”

“…posterior cingulate has been implicated in autobiographical memory retrieval such as when listening to familiar names (such as a spouse, parent or child) vs nonfamiliar person names (Maddock et al., 2001), or when viewing images of a familiar child vs an unfamiliar child (Leibenluft et al., 2004).”

“As shown in Table 1, regions commonly activated by maternal love (Bartels and Zeki, 2004; Strathearn et al., 2008), early-stage romantic love (Bartels and Zeki, 2000; Aron et al.”

“OT and AVP have been shown to play a critical role in the regulation of social behaviors (Insel et al., 1994) and monogamous pair-bonding in rodent mammals (Young et al., 2001; Lim and Young, 2004; Young and Wang, 2004).”

“…activation of dopamine-rich sites, such as the VTA and caudate, are evoked in response to rewards such as food (Hare et al., 2008), monetary gains (Delgado et al., 2003; D’Ardenne et al., 2008; Carter et al., 2009), cocaine and alcohol (Heinz et al., 2004; Risinger et al., 2005) and overall…”

“, 2009), cocaine and alcohol (Heinz et al., 2004; Risinger et al., 2005) and overall highly motivational stimuli (Knutson and Greer, 2008; Carter et al.”

“Instructions were provided before and during scanning.”

“, 1989; Peckys and Landwehrmeyer, 1999), associated with pain suppression (Bittar et al., 2005).”

“Thus, adult attachment work has been built on the notion that pair-bonds are the adult instantiation of attachment in childhood (Ainsworth, 1991).”

“ROI analyses for the HFN vs LFN contrast showed activation in the left GP, amygdala, bilaterally in the dorsal head of the caudate nucleus, on the right side of the middle insula and in the dorsal Raphe nucleus.”

“Several of the regions noted above (e.g. the SN, GP and thalamus) have a high density of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) receptors (Jenkins et al., 1984; Loup et al., 1991).”

“…by which humans and other mammals may enact behaviors that maintain (e.g. proximity maintenance and doing things to make the partner happy) and protect (rejection of unfamiliar conspecifics) their pair-bonds (Winslow et al., 1993; Carter et al., 1995; Wang et al., 1997; Aragona et al., 2003).”

“Novel, rewarding experiences may use dopamine-rich systems (Schultz, 2001; Guitart-Masip et al., 2010) similar to those activated in this study.”

“An obsession-item PLS correlation in the medial caudate and septum/fornix replicated the PLS correlations found for early-stage romantic love (Aron et al., 2005) and rejection in love (Fisher et al., 2010).”

“OT and AVP have been shown to play a critical role in the regulation of social behaviors (Insel et al., 1994) and monogamous pair-bonding in rodent mammals (Young et al., 2001; Lim and Young, 2004; Young and Wang, 2004).”

“Results from the present study add to this body of knowledge suggesting that romantic love associated with engagement, sexual interest and lower attention to alternative partners (Miller, 1997; Maner et al., 2008) may promote pair-bond maintenance through sustained reward.”

“…July 2018 long-term romantic love would involve dopamine-rich subcortical brain regions associated with reward, particularly the ventral tegmental area (VTA), reported in several studies of early-stage romantic love (Bartels and Zeki, 2000; Aron et al., 2005; Ortigue et al., 2007; Xu et al., 2010).”

“Similarly, the intimacy model suggests that rapid increases in intimacy promote increases in passion (Baumeister and Bratslavsky, 1999).”

“We also found a correlation with activity in the PAG, an area rich in OT, AVP and opioid receptors (Jenkins et al., 1984; Loup et al., 1989; Peckys and Landwehrmeyer, 1999), associated with pain suppression (Bittar et al.”

“Acevedo and Aron (2009) suggest that intense romantic love (with intensity, engagement and sexual desire) exists in some long-term relationships, but generally without the obsession component common in the early-stages of relationships.”

“Overall, results suggest that for some individuals the reward-value associated with a long-term partner may be sustained, similar to new love, but also involves brain systems implicated in attachment and pair-bonding.”

“, 2008) and for those experiencing cocaine-induced ‘high’ (Risinger et al., 2005).”

“Indeed, downward comparisons relative to others’ relationships seem to be a cognitive mechanism that may promote relationship commitment (Rusbult et al., 2000).”

“Lesion studies have shown that disruptions in the GP cause aversion to previously pleasant foods (Cromwell and Berridge, 1993).”

“Also, studies show that hippocampal lesions in rodents disrupt the animals’ ability to distinguish hunger and satiation signals (Davidson and Jarad, 1993).”

“, 2005) and overall highly motivational stimuli (Knutson and Greer, 2008; Carter et al., 2009).”

“…by which humans and other mammals may enact behaviors that maintain (e.g. proximity maintenance and doing things to make the partner happy) and protect (rejection of unfamiliar conspecifics) their pair-bonds (Winslow et al., 1993; Carter et al., 1995; Wang et al., 1997; Aragona et al., 2003).”

“Results from the present study add to this body of knowledge suggesting that romantic love associated with engagement, sexual interest and lower attention to alternative partners (Miller, 1997; Maner et al., 2008) may promote pair-bond maintenance through sustained reward.”

“Thus, present findings are in line with behavioral observations suggesting that one key distinction between romantic love in its early and later stages is greater calm associated with the latter (Tennov, 1979; Eastwick and Finkel, 2008; Acevedo and Aron, 2009).”

“Lesions of the septum/fornix have been implicated in anxiety reduction in rats (Decker et al., 1995; Degroot and Treit, 2004).”

“Especially interesting to the present study is the correlation of the VTA activity in relation to the PLS (nonobsessive items) and Eros scores, which replicated PLS results for early-stage romantic love (Ortigue et al., 2007).”

“Also, consistent with the definition of ‘including the other in the self’, IOS scores were positively associated with activation in areas reflecting self-referential processing, such as the middle insula and anterior cingulate (Northoff et al., 2006; Enzi et al., 2009, meta-analysis).”

“We also found a correlation with activity in the PAG, an area rich in OT, AVP and opioid receptors (Jenkins et al., 1984; Loup et al., 1989; Peckys and Landwehrmeyer, 1999), associated with pain suppression (Bittar et al.”

“Although little is known about the posterior hippocampal region, some studies have shown increased activation in this area in association with hunger and food craving (LaBar et al., 2001; Pelchat et al., 2004), with particularly greater activity shown in obese individuals (Bragulat et al., 2010).”

“We also found a correlation with activity in the PAG, an area rich in OT, AVP and opioid receptors (Jenkins et al., 1984; Loup et al., 1989; Peckys and Landwehrmeyer, 1999), associated with pain suppression (Bittar et al.”

“Lesions of the septum/fornix have been implicated in anxiety reduction in rats (Decker et al., 1995; Degroot and Treit, 2004).”

“Significant neural activations were found in regions of the VTA/SN, dorsal Raphe nucleus, caudate, putamen, posterior GP, thalamus, anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, insular cortex, mid-insula, posterior hippocampus, middle temporal gyrus, amygdala, angular gyrus and cerebellum (Table 2).”

“The VTA is centrally placed in a wider motivational/reward network associated with behaviors necessary for survival (Camara et al., 2009).”

“In addition, the GP is a major site for opiate receptors (Olive et al., 1997; Napier and Mitrovic, 1999) and has been identified as a ‘hedonic hotspot’, mediating both ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’ for primary rewards (Berridge et al., 2010; Smith et al., 2010).”

“Novel, rewarding experiences may use dopamine-rich systems (Schultz, 2001; Guitart-Masip et al., 2010) similar to those activated in this study.”

“Although little is known about the posterior hippocampal region, some studies have shown increased activation in this area in association with hunger and food craving (LaBar et al., 2001; Pelchat et al., 2004), with particularly greater activity shown in obese individuals (Bragulat et al., 2010).”

“Other theories suggest that over time, passionate/romantic love, defined as ‘a state of intense longing for union with another’ generally evolves into companionate love with deep friendship, easy companionship and sharing of common interests, but not necessarily involving intensity, sexual desire, or attraction (Bersc…”

“In addition, the GP is a major site for opiate receptors (Olive et al., 1997; Napier and Mitrovic, 1999) and has been identified as a ‘hedonic hotspot’, mediating both ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’ for primary rewards (Berridge et al., 2010; Smith et al., 2010).”

“Bartels and Zeki (2004) for maternal love.”

“Reward system studies suggest that the posterior hippocampus is an important structure in memory, perhaps of stimuli associated with primary rewards (Fernandez and Kroes, 2010).”

“Interestingly, viewing the face of a romantic partner activated reward-associated regions such as the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens (2, 58).”

“The first is the ‘reward-motivation’ system, including the striatum (NA, caudate, putamen), amygdala, VTA, OFC, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and ACC, employing DA- and OT-rich pathways [12,130,131], and supporting multiple attachment-related motivational behaviors, such as social orienting, social seeking,…”

“…brain regions implicated in maternal attachment were also shown to be activated in prolonged romantic relationships as assessed by both fMRI (Acevedo et al., 2011) and ERP (Weisman et al., in press), consistent with the position that parental and romantic attachment share underlying…”

“These regions have been implicated n higher processes occurring across broader time scales, such as ong term romantic love (Acevedo et al., 2012), acute grief followng the death of offspring (Kersting et al., 2009), and bereavement ollowing the death of a spouse (Gündel et al., 2003).”

“share common biological substrates but also involve different brain systems (11, 35, 36).”

“The VTA has been shown to be activated in response to several positive stimuli and in other studies of romantic partners (e.g., Aron et al. 2005b; Acevedo et al. 2011).”

“Interestingly, brain regions implicated in parental—infant attachment were also found to be activated in prolonged romantic relationships as assessed by both fMRI (Acevedo et al., 2011) and ERP (Weisman et al.”

“Studies clustered in “Observing others”: (Bartels and Zeki, 2000, 2004; Aron, 2005; Acevedo et al., 2012).”

“Additionally, the CP is activated in humans when viewing the faces of loved ones, and this activation is correlated with romantic love and passion scores (Bartels and Zeki 2000; Aron et al. 2005; Acevedo et al. 2012).”

“, 2013; Wise, 2004) as well as the intense emotions associated with love, sexual desire, orgasm (Ulrich et al., 2018; Holstege et al., 2003; Acevedo et al., 2012), fear, stress, anxiety (Bouchet et al.”

“…love reveal the physiological underpinnings of this universal or nearuniversal human experience, and they all show activation of the VTA (Fisher et al., 2003, 2010; Bartels and Zeki, 2004; Aron et al., 2005; Ortigue et al., 2007; Zeki and Romaya, 2010; Acevedo et al., 2011; Xu et al., 2011).”

“…and other children and their best friend and other adults while in an fMRI scanner State love Momentary love felt for people viewed during scans (rated postscan) – – Acevedo et al. (2012) O, E 17 39–67 (M = 52.85) Activity in reward and motivation brain regions Viewed picture of partner vs. close…”

“Relevant to social connection, subjects who show the most middle-insula activity also rate themselves as closer to their romantic partner, and greater activity in the VS is associated with longer relationship length (Acevedo et al., 2012).”

“, 2010) and for those who report intense passionate love within long-term (mean 21 years) marriages (Acevedo et al., 2012).”

“Although relatively little is known about the interaction between oxytocin and DA in the dorsal striatum, human neuroimaging studies of attachment consistently show dorsal striatum (caudate nucleus) activation to be correlatedwith romantic love and passion scores (e.g., Bartels and Zeki, 2000; Aron et al., 2005; Aceve…”

“…for example, during a mother’s perception of her own child (oC) (Bartels and Zeki, 2004; Leibenluft et al, 2004; Strathearn et al, 2008) or more generally during the processing of the faces of loved ones (Acevedo et al, 2011; Bartels and Zeki, 2000; Gundel et al, 2003; O’Connor et al, 2008).”

“For instance, reminders of close others in the neuroimaging environment, such as loving messages from close others (Inagaki and Eisenberger, 2013) or pictures of a loved one (Acevedo et al., 2012; Strathearn et al., 2009, 2008) robustly activate the VS.”

“For instance, the rewarding properties of social interactions in mice require the coordinated activity of OXT and serotonin in the NAcc (99) and a recent [ 18 F]MPPF positron emission tomography study demonstrated that OXT IN modulates serotonergic signaling in humans (100).”

“Studies of romantic love demonstrate activations in dopamine-rich and basal ganglia structures such as the putamen, thalamus, and globus pallidus (17, 38, 39), which are associated with reward (40), pair-bonding (41), and euphoria (16).”

“activation by social behaviors and social signals (Ferris et al. 2004; Acevedo et al. 2012).”

“Both the NAcc and VTA have previously been identified as reward-associated brain regions activated by viewing the face of a romantic partner while recalling shared experiences with him or her (Bartels and Zeki, 2004; Aron et al., 2005; Acevedo et al., 2012).”

“To assess VS activity to the close other, a standard imaging task modified from previously published studies on close social relationships was used (Aron et al. , 2005; Acevedo et al. , 2011).”

“Emotional centers of the brain associated with romantic love include the amygdala, the anterior cingulate cortex (Bartels and Zeki, 2000; Aron et al., 2005; Fisher et al., 2010; Younger et al., 2010; Zeki and Romaya, 2010; Stoessel et al., 2011; Acevedo et al., 2012; Scheele et al., 2013; Song et al., 2015), and the i…”

“The role of the fornix is best established within the domain of episodic memory (Rolls, 2015); its contribution to the processing of emotion is more controversial and has been more widely studied in animal models (Decker et al., 1995; Degroot and Treit, 2004; Acevedo et al., 2012).”

“Cumulative risk on the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) underpins empathic communication difficulties at the first stages of romantic love”

“Rather, we suggest that the felt energy and enjoyment associated with the social predictor variables can be explained, in part, by the intrinsic psychological reward of positive and supportive social engagement [66, 67].”

“However, romantic love may evolve into companionate love over time [Acevedo et al., 2012] and OXT may have different effects in long-term relationships.”

“However, as a downside of these highly rewarding affective interactions, higher cortical areas are temporarily deactivated (“love makes blind”) (43, 44).”

“In addition, neuroimaging studies have identified key neural circuits implicated in attachment and social processing (4-7).”

“Human imaging studies showed that romantic attachment is associated with increased activations in dopamine-rich reward areas, including the caudate, nucleus accumbens (NAcc), and ventral tegmental area (Acevedo et al., 2012; Aron, 2005; Bartels & Zeki, 2000; Kim et al., 2009).”

“Neurobiological studies focusing on understanding the bonding in humans have shown that bonds between spouses as well as between parents and their children involve reward, motivation, and emotion circuits [4,5 ,6,7].”

“Similarly, the number of years married is associated with increased VS to images of romantic partners (versus close friends; (41)).”

“These findings from animal research are corroborated by the association of romantic love as a model for mammalian mate choice with activity of the left caudate head and ventral pallidum (Acevedo et al., 2012; Aron et al., 2005; Bartels and Zeki, 2000; Fisher et al., 2006).”

“Although self-expansion is positive and rewarding (Acevedo et al., 2011; Xu et al., 2011), research indicates that the self-expansion experience precedes increases in positive affect (Graham, 2008).”

“Human imaging work has shown that a DR 5-HT brainstem microcircuit is activated when subjects are presented with images of their long-term partner (82).”

“Similarly, some of these areas are also implicated in the responses to a romantic image (such subcortical structures as the caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen, lateral thalamus, subthalamic nuclei, and ventral tegmental area; Bartels and Zeki, 2004; Aron et al., 2005; Acevedo et al., 2011).”

“Finally, spirituality and religiosity have been linked to, if not equated with, unconditional love (53,54), consistent with the role of the PAG in maternal and pair bonding (47,55–60), unconditional love (47), maternal love (61), nonsexual love (59), compassion (62), and the duration of longterm relationships (55).”

“…et al. (2007), Xu et al. (2011), Acevedo et al. (2012) Insula −33 15 −15 30 18 −15 Bartels and Zeki (2004), Ortigue et al. (2007), Fisher et al. (2010), Acevedo et al. (2012) TPJ −57 −42 18 51 −39 24 Bartels and Zeki (2000, 2004), Ortigue et al. (2007, 2010) PCC −6 −45 21 8 −44 24 Bartels and…”

“subjects performed a count-back task for 30 s between pictures (Aron et al., 2005; Acevedo et al., 2012).”

“Several studies highlight the role of the dopaminergic reward system, particularly areas such as the mid-insula, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), caudate head, ventral tegmental area and putamen, in motivating pair bond formation and maintenance and in the regulation of emotion associated with thinking of a close othe…”

“Neuroimaging studies of romantic love have investigated earlystage, intense romantic love [5,28,34,36] as well as longer-term romantic love [1,6,11,27,38].”

“, reduce continued thoughts about the close other or feelings that might arise from viewing images of them) as is standard in this task (Acevedo et al., 2012; Aron et al., 2005; Inagaki, Muscatell, et al., 2015, 2016).”

“…regions implicated in feelings of reward, such as the VTA, NAcc, and caudate that were previously documented in pair bond formation in animal species, are activated during the perception of romantic partner’s face (Acevedo et al. 2012; Aron et al. 2005; Bartels and Zeki 2000; Scheele et al. 2013).”

“Interestingly, regions associated with reward, motivation, and “romantic love” were also enhanced by kisspeptin, including the thalamus, posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and caudate (33, 34).”

“All participants gave written informed consent for participation in the study.”

“A similar bilateral deactivating pattern in amygdala was found by others (Aron et al., 2005; Xu et al., 2011), while Acevedo and colleagues suggested that the right amygdala deactivates in early-stage love, while the left amygdala activates in long-term love (Acevedo et al., 2012).”

“Specifically, this was observed to occur in the thalamus and globus pallidus, which are brain regions implicated in romantic love (86, 87), as well as the amygdala, also implicated in bonding (87).”

“Although stimuli related to romantic love or being in a romantic relationship commonly result in enhancement of activation or functional connectivity of the reward system, including the striatum, the structure underlying romantic relationship-related regions remain unclear.”

“For example, for maternal love, we excluded peer-reviewed articles about mothers with postpartum depression or who had been in deep conflict with their husbands; for passionate love, we included only peer-reviewed articles that provided participants’ ratings on the Passionate Love Scale [25].”

“Acevedo et al. (2011).”

“…this review, “romantic love” refers to the state that usually occurs in the early stages of a romantic relationship (i.e., early-stage romantic love) and not long-term romantic love (see Acevedo and Aron, 2009; O’Leary et al., 2011; Acevedo et al., 2012 for explanation of long-term romantic love).”

“The same neural structures that activate in parents in response to attachment reminders also activate when individuals observe their romantic partner, co-parent or close friend (Bartels and Zeki, 2004; Acevedo et al., 2012; Abraham et al., 2017; Laurita et al., 2017), suggesting continuity fromparental to romantic to…”

“Most of the studies we examined implement an experimental paradigm in which participants view facial images or videos of their target relationship partner(s) vs control images (e.g. Zeki and Romaya, 2010; Acevedo, 2012; Scheele et al., 2013; Inagaki et al., 2016; Parkinson et al., 2017).”