Is love just a chemical cocktail?

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A leading scientist believes "love" can simply be broken down to its chemical components.

In animals, scientists have observed that a chemical called oxytocin is involved in developing a bond between a mother and her young.

Professor Young believes it is very likely that a similar process is going on in humans.

"It's just that when we experience these emotions they are so rich we can't imagine that they are just a series of chemical events," he said.

He believes there are other chemicals involved too - it is just a matter of doing the research and finding out which ones they are.

Other scientists argue that upbringing and psychology play a part.

Professor Nick Bostrom, director of Oxford University's Future of Humanity Institute, said: "We shouldn't think that this perspective on its own provides a full understanding of what love is.

"There are also evolutionary, psychological, sociological, phenomenological (a philosophical approach and method of qualitative research) and humanistic perspectives that offer important insights."

"Nurture has an important part to play," Professor Young conceeds.

"But the way nurture works is through changing neurochemistry.

"We know from studies in humans that women that have experienced abuse or neglect early in their life have decreased levels of oxytocin in their brain.

"So I totally agree that our experiences have a huge impact on our ability to form relationships - but that impact occurs through changes in neurochemistry and gene expression."

So, if love really is just a complex chemical reaction, could that most powerful of human emotions be manipulated?

"Oxytocin increases eye gaze, increases our ability to recognise emotions in others," Professor Young said.

"It may actually enhance our ability to form relationships, and so it is a very real possibility that something like oxytocin could be used in conjunction with marital therapies to bring back that spark."

There are already perfumes on the market containing oxytocin, but Professor Young believes the levels are too low for it to be an effective aphrodisiac.

"But I think in the future we can develop drugs that readily pass into the brain and can target certain brain areas that could do this," he said.

Professor Bostrom believes it will become increasingly possible to manipulate the neurological mechanisms that play a role in romantic attachment.

"Used wisely, such pharmacology could enhance human experience and mitigate unnecessary suffering.

"However, this kind of manipulation would raise a thicket of ethical and cultural issues, which would need to be carefully explored."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7815095.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7815095.stm