2. What is Love? Strong Affection that is felt and personal attachment. Cultures have different views on love, which makes it difficult to make it an universal definition. Many ways to show or express love.
3. The Brain in Love Releases Euphoria-inducing chemicals. Falling in love can elicit not only the same euphoric feeling as using cocaine, but also affects intellectual areas of the brain. Takes a fifth of a second to fall in love. Researchers found out the our blood levels of nerve growth factor, or NGF, also increase. These levels were significantly higher in couples who had just fallen in love. This molecule plays an important role in the social chemistry of humans, or the phenomenon of “love at first sight.”
4. Science on the Brain and Heart falling in love “I would say the brain, but the heart is also related because the complex concept of love is formed by both bottom-up and top-down processes from the brain to the heart and vice versa.”“For instance, activation in some parts of the brain can generate stimulations to the heart, butterflies in the stomach. Some symptoms we sometimes feel as a manifestation of the heart may sometimes be coming from the brain.”-Ortigue
5. Theory of Love Created by Psychologist Robert Sternberg. Three components of love: intimacy, passion and commitment. Different combinations of these three components result in different types of love. For example, a combination of intimacy and commitment results in compassionate love, while a combination of passion and intimacy leads to passionate love. “According to Sternberg, relationships built on two or more elements are more enduring that those based upon a single component. Sternberg uses the term consummate love to describe a combination of intimacy, passion and commitment. While this type of love is the strongest and most enduring, Sternberg suggests that this type of love is rare.”
6. Impersonal Love To love an object, principle, goal if they value it greatly, and are deeply committed to it. If sexual passion comes into play with this is called Paraphilia. Said to be the secret to radiant health, because we can find perfect harmony.
7. Interpersonal Love Also Known as Interpersonal Relations. Defined as to the love between two people. Is associated Interpersonal relationships which is the love we have with family, friends, and couples.
8. Erotomania The false but persistent belief that one is loved by a person (often a famous or prominent person), or the pathologically obsessive pursuit of a disinterested object of love. Can be a symptom of Schizophrenia or other psychological disorder.
9. Love vs. Lust “Because love is related to thoughts in the distant future and lust triggers thoughts related to the present, based on construal level theory, we propose a link between love and a global processing style as well as a link between lust and a local processing style. These processing styles should further expand to partnership evaluations, partially explaining halo phenomena. In Study 1, college students and senior participants were primed by either imagining a walk with a person they were in love with, or a one-night stand. In Study 2, love and lust were primed subliminally. In all studies, love priming enhanced global, holistic processing and halos, whereas lust priming enhanced local, detail oriented processing and reduced halos. Moreover, in Study 1, temporal distance mediated the effects. Implications for research of moods on processing styles, partner perception, and the distinction between love and lust are discussed.” -Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
10. Interesting Facts Findings on implications for neuroscience and mental health research because when love doesn’t work out, it can be a significant cause of emotional stress and depression. “It’s another probe into the brain and into the mind of a patient,” says Ortigue. “By understanding why they fall in love and why they are so heartbroken, they can use new therapies.” By identifying the parts of the brain stimulated by love, doctors and therapists can better understand the pains of lovesick patients. The study also shows different parts of the brain fall in love. For example, unconditional love, such as that between a mother and a child, is sparked by both common and different brain areas, including the middle of the brain. Passionate love is sparked by the reward part of the brain, and also associative cognitive brain areas that have higher-order cognitive functions, such as body image.
11. What is Joy? AKA Happiness A mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Studies have found that things like money, education, or the weather do not affect happiness the way one might expect. There are various habits that have been correlated with happiness. (PERMA)
12. PERMA Psychologist Martin Seligman provided the acronym PERMA. Pleasure: (tasty foods, warm baths, etc.) Engagement (or flow, the absorption of an enjoyed yet challenging activity) Relationships (social ties have turned out to be extremely reliable indicator of happiness), Meaning (a perceived quest or belonging to something bigger) Accomplishments (having realized tangible goals).
13. Brain on Joy Dan Gilbert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTO_dZUvbJA&feature=player_embedded
14. Bibliography Gilbert, Dan, perf. Why are we happy? Why aren't we Happy. 2004. 2007. Web. 15 Aug. 2011. <http://www.neurointerests.com/?p=726>. Grohol, John. "The Science Behind Falling in Love." Pysch Central. Ed. Rick Nauert. N.p., 25 Oct. 2010. Web. 15 Aug. 2011. <http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/10/25/the-science-behind-falling-in-love/20103.html>. Mahoney, E.. "The 'science' of happiness. " Rev. of: ***[insert title of work reviewed in italics]***, ***[insert clarifying information]***. Management Today 1 Jul 2011: Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 15 Aug. 2011. Epstude, K., and J. Förster. "Seeing love, or seeing lust: How people interpret ambiguous romantic situations. " Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 47.5 (2011): 1017. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 16 Aug. 2011. "Love Theories ." About.com. Ed. Kendra Cherry. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Aug. 2011. <http://psychology.about.com/od/loveandattraction/a/theoriesoflove.htm>. "Erotomania." Webster's New World Medical Dictionary. 3rd rd ed. 2008. N. pag. Print. "Impersonal Love." The Expanding Light. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Aug. 2011. <http://www.expandinglight.org/free/radiant-health/health-tips/impersonal-love.asp>.
15. Bibliography Cont’d Sweeny, Michael. Brain: The Complete Mind. Washington DC: National Geographic, 2009. N. pag. Print.