Biological view on love (3 stages of love):
1st Stage: Lust is the initial passionate sexual desire that promotes mating, and involves the increased release of chemicals such as testosterone and estrogen. These effects rarely last more than a few weeks or months.
If you don’t go past this stage, then it’s called “sex”. You look for it every a few weeks or months.
2nd Stage: Romantic Attraction is the more individualized and romantic desire for a specific candidate for mating, which develops out of lust as commitment to an individual mate forms.
As people fall in love, the brain consistently releases a certain set of chemicals, including pheromones, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, stimulating the brain’s pleasure center and leading to side effects such as increased heart rate, loss of appetite and sleep, and an intense feeling of excitement. This stage generally lasts from one and a half to three years.
If you don’t go past this stage, then it’s called “love addicts”, or “love drug”. When you’re told “I love you” or “I’m in love with you”, is it true?
3rd Stage: Since the lust and attraction stages are both considered temporary, a third stage is needed to account for long-term relationships. Attachment is the bonding that promotes relationships lasting for many years and even decades. Attachment is generally based on commitments such as marriage and children, or on mutual friendship based on things like shared interests. It has been linked to higher levels of the chemicals oxytocin and vasopressin to a greater degree than short-term relationships have.
Love, friendship, or kinship, whatever you call it. Couple at this stage don’t say “I love you” or “I’m in love with you” anymore, since it’s the real deal. When you are at this stage, will you look for lust elsewhere anymore? Will you miss the love drug anymore?
