Is There Such A Thing As A Love Hormone?

Many consider love to be one of the most vital human experiences, while others say it is little more than a chemical reaction in the brain. Researchers have spent decades studying the science of love and how it may affect the human experience. Over time, technological advances played a role in allowing scientists to identify the neurotransmitter oxytocin as the “love hormone” or “cuddle hormone”. It can positively affect behavior and often plays a large role in parents bonding with their children. Oxytocin can also inspire loyalty in relationships and has many medical uses. However, oxytocin may not affect everyone in the same way. If you find you’re having trouble bonding with others or engaging in healthy relationships, online therapy can be an excellent way to address any underlying issues.

What is oxytocin, the love hormone?

Oxytocin is considered a neurotransmitter, which is one of the chemical substances that typically helps transmit signals through your brain. Neurotransmitters generally facilitate everything from the essential processes that keep you alive to your emotions and memories. 

According to researchers at Harvard Medical School, oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus and released into the bloodstream through the pituitary gland. One of its primary purposes may be to facilitate childbirth by stimulating contractions and lactation. This connection to motherhood is likely part of the reason oxytocin is often called the love drug or love hormone. 

When does your brain produce oxytocin?

Studies show that the brains of couples in the early stages of romantic attachment tend to produce significantly more oxytocin than those not in relationships. Functional MRI (fMRI) imaging also showed increased oxytocin production during the formation of parental-infant attachment. Sexual activity can also stimulate the release of oxytocin and may play a role in orgasms and erections. However, the exact reason for this has yet to be conclusively determined. 

What does love do to your brain

Neurobiological reactions caused by love

• Your brain releases dopamine in the pleasure and reward systems. It is often stimulated by physical attraction. 
• Oxytocin can be vital for childbirth, breastfeeding, and establishing the parent-child bond. It has also been linked to empathy, bonding, and trust in romantic relationships. 
• Endorphins are thought to be natural hormones released by your body while engaging in activities that trigger your brain’s reward center, such as having sex. 
• Feeling “lovesick” may be due to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. 

Oxytocin can positively affect your behavior

Oxytocin has been linked to behaviors in both human and animal studies and to emotions in people. The love hormone can influence how your body adapts to various emotional and social situations. 

Research shows promising results with the intranasal (through the nasal cavity) administration of oxytocin. The “direct access pathways” may offer fast and specific results spanning from facilitating social relations to strengthening bonds and even potentially as a treatment for those with autism to help them recognize social cues. Oxytocin can positively impact the way you relax around others, your level of trust, and your overall psychological stability. It can decrease stress and anxiety levels when interacting with certain parts of the brain as well.

“Brain oxytocin modulates social behaviors, including maternal care and aggression, pair bonding, sexual behavior, social memory and support, and human trust, and downregulates stress responses, including anxiety,” said Inga D. Neumann, author of a paper about the effect of oxytocin on behavior.

Oxytocin and parenthood

The love hormone usually plays several vital roles in childbirth, breastfeeding, and establishing a strong bond between mother and child. Oxytocin typically begins labor by stimulating the uterine lining to contract and moves the process along by increasing other hormones mothers need to manage the body’s response to birth. Oxytocin can also help return the uterus to its former size after delivery. 

When a baby latches on during breastfeeding, it normally triggers a release of oxytocin in the mother’s brain. This can serve as a signal for the body to allow milk to flow for the baby. Mothers with higher levels of the love hormone in their systems tend to be more likely to demonstrate affectionate parenting patterns. Research shows that the effect may not be limited to biological motherhood. A 2014 study found that foster mothers and adoptive parents may also experience the release of oxytocin while bonding with their children. 

A 2010 study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Neuroscience and Therapeutics found that there was generally no difference in the production of oxytocin by mothers and fathers across the first six months of parenthood, meaning that all parents tended to experience increased oxytocin levels while bonding with their children.

Oxytocin may inspire loyalty in relationships

Studies show that intranasally administered oxytocin tended to inspire men in relationships to maintain a greater physical distance upon meeting an attractive woman, while this effect was not typically observed in single men. Researchers believe oxytocin’s relationship with the brain’s reward centers may influence loyalty in relationships. Being intimate or sexual with a romantic partner can increase your oxytocin levels and create a feedback loop over time, reinforcing the continued behavior. Your body will likely produce more oxytocin as you spend more time with your partner. As your brain produces more oxytocin, you will likely crave more time with your partner and find your desire for them continues to grow to the point that you don’t notice other people as much. 

What are the medical uses of oxytocin?

Medically, oxytocin can serve multiple purposes. While the human body usually produces it naturally, it can also be available as a synthetically produced medication. Many healthcare providers use synthetic oxytocin to help induce labor or speed up the delivery of the placenta. It has also been used to reduce the risk of postpartum hemorrhage and often plays many roles during childbirth and the postpartum period.

Medical applications for oxytocin include:

• Labor, delivery, and postpartum care
• Emerging treatment for autism spectrum disorder and recognizing social cues
• Stimulate lactation in breastfeeding mothers
• Help move sperm for ejaculation in males
• Influences the production of testosterone
• Potential treatment for irritable bowel syndrome
• The Potential Downside Of The Love Hormone

Though oxytocin has earned significant media attention for its varied potential applications, researchers at the American Psychological Association warned that it might have some adverse side effects. Researchers said that while hormones don’t necessarily influence behavior directly, they can affect how you perceive events and respond emotionally or mentally. In some people, oxytocin may harm trust and social interaction rather than improve it. Oxytocin can also encourage favoritism, competition, and other negative social cues in some situations.

Recognize unhealthy habits and relationships

It can be easy to get swept up in the intense feelings of a new relationship as oxytocin floods your system, so you may miss warning signs of an unhealthy match. If you notice that you or your partner are exhibiting unhealthy habits or harmful patterns, speaking with a qualified therapist can help you develop the coping and communication skills necessary to build lasting, loving relationships. Studies show that healthy relationships are normally linked with consistently higher oxytocin levels. 

How therapy can help you develop healthy love practices

The love hormone can influence the intensity of the love you feel, but it doesn’t necessarily control your behavior. As with most human emotions, there can be healthy and unhealthy ways to express love. If you feel like your relationships aren’t balanced and supportive or find it challenging to maintain a loving relationship despite your passionate desire, you might consider speaking to a therapist to identify unhealthy habits. 

Online therapy with virtual providers is often an increasingly popular choice due to the significantly lower costs, reduced waiting times, and convenient flexibility of multiple appointment formats. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is often used to guide and support people through identifying unhealthy habits and making positive changes. According to recent research, online CBT can be as effective as traditional in-person treatments.