Many say that love is a feeling inspired by unexplainable attraction, an intangible connection between two individuals who happened to stumble upon each other, unintentionally sparking the moment they will later call their “meet-cute.” The shy glances at one another, the quickening heartbeat at the brush of your fingertips, the spontaneous moments you don’t notice at the time but grow to cherish—it’s simply pure love. This love is something many young adults seek out as they leave the drama-ridden playground of high school crushes and enter into the more serious dating pool that is college.
Sure, the occasional fun situationship or emotion-filled relationship spices up life, but there comes a time when most hope to settle down and devote their time to a lifelong partner. With only about 33% of college relationships becoming long-term commitments (Harvard University), it seems that most college students either experience failed relationships or struggle to get past the “puppy love” or euphoric phase of love and into the more serious, level-headed portion of relationships. Why is this?
To discuss love in college, we must first examine what sets college students apart from the general adult population. The difference lies in the fact that the frontal lobe of the average college student’s brain, typically ranging from 18 to 22 years of age, is not fully developed until around 25. A study conducted by Franza Francesco and Alba Cervone found that the lack of a fully developed frontal lobe hinders decision-making and can lead to “the [experience of the] type of maddening love described by poets and writers” (Foster, 2023). Just as puppies follow obliviously after an object of interest, so do people with still-maturing brains chase after the excitement of romance and the feeling it offers. Therefore, there is potential danger in getting into a serious relationship as a college student. However, this full-throttle approach to love and relationships is not exclusive to college students. Regardless of age, our brain naturally shuts down its ability to critically analyze our romantic partners, which lends itself to the well-known phrase “love is blind”. This, in tandem with the still-developing frontal lobe in young adults, explains the surprising statistic of only 33% of college relationships becoming long-term commitments (Lindner, 2023). So, what hooks college students into these relationships in the first place?
The answer lies in the interplay between cortisol levels and the neurotransmitter serotonin when one first experiences romantic love. In response to the emotion of love, the body releases chemicals that make our hands sweat, our hearts race, and our anxiety levels peak. This gradually increases cortisol levels, which in turn decreases serotonin levels in the brain. This depletion of serotonin levels leads to what Schwartz, an Harvard Medical School associate professor of psychiatry at McClean Hospital, calls the “intrusive, maddeningly preoccupying thoughts, hopes, [and] terrors of early love” (Harvard Medical School, 2015). The feeling of excitement and your racing heartbeat as you search the room for your crush? Caused by low serotonin levels. The drop in your stomach when you accidentally make awkward eye contact? Low serotonin levels are the culprit once again.
Similarly, attaching yourself to someone in a romantic manner releases dopamine in the brain, triggering your brain’s innate reward system. As the dopamine reward system is continuously activated by romantic feelings, love can be as addictive as getting high on cocaine or drunk on alcohol when dopamine creates feelings of euphoria. In a study led by Adriana Galvan, a professor of psychology at UCLA, it was discovered that maturing brains produce more dopamine and are more sensitive to the chemical than mature brains. Galvan found that this sensitivity directly translates into vulnerability to damaging behaviors as the brain decides to devote its neurons to strengthening the addictive feedback loop that love offers us. So rather than exploring a connection slowly, young brains tend to push boundaries and rush into relationships as they are literally “addicted” to the feeling of euphoria that the connection offers (Hamilton, 2023).
A study at Stony Brook University extends upon Galvan’s research and emphasizes that the most intense activity in the brains of couples was found in the dopamine-rich ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain. The VTA is associated with the dopamine reward system and encourages partners to yearn for one another, which more often than not leads to “attachment bonds with addiction-related properties” (Acevedo 2011). The study’s findings suggest that it generally takes longer for those with still-maturing brains to truly critically analyze their relationships and reach the stage of “lasting love” as described by Schwartz, where love no longer is a stressor but a “buffer against stress” (Harvard Medical School 2015).
All of this is not to say that young adults are incapable of level-headed, stable romance. It surely is possible to reach a level of emotional and mental maturity where one overcomes the tumultuous, chemically-driven emotions of puppy love and maintains a stable, long-term relationship. However, as young adults whose chemical reaction to romance is characterized by heightened dopamine and cortisol levels and decreased serotonin levels, we must remain aware of this uncontrollable and addictive approach to love that many young adults fall victim to. Before falling head over heels, take a step back and determine whether you feel an immediate connection or whether you(r neural networks) are creating the illusion of an undeniable connection via a neurotransmitter-driven, addictive reward system. Many may say that love is purely a matter of the heart, but the brain’s involvement in the development of love is truly undeniable.
About the Author
Pascale Fung is a freshman at Harvard College, planning to study Neuroscience on the Mind, Brain, Behavior track.
References:
Sure, the occasional fun situationship or emotion-filled relationship spices up life, but there comes a time when most hope to settle down and devote their time to a lifelong partner. With only about 33% of college relationships becoming long-term commitments (Harvard University), it seems that most college students either experience failed relationships or struggle to get past the “puppy love” or euphoric phase of love and into the more serious, level-headed portion of relationships. Why is this?
To discuss love in college, we must first examine what sets college students apart from the general adult population. The difference lies in the fact that the frontal lobe of the average college student’s brain, typically ranging from 18 to 22 years of age, is not fully developed until around 25. A study conducted by Franza Francesco and Alba Cervone found that the lack of a fully developed frontal lobe hinders decision-making and can lead to “the [experience of the] type of maddening love described by poets and writers” (Foster, 2023). Just as puppies follow obliviously after an object of interest, so do people with still-maturing brains chase after the excitement of romance and the feeling it offers. Therefore, there is potential danger in getting into a serious relationship as a college student. However, this full-throttle approach to love and relationships is not exclusive to college students. Regardless of age, our brain naturally shuts down its ability to critically analyze our romantic partners, which lends itself to the well-known phrase “love is blind”. This, in tandem with the still-developing frontal lobe in young adults, explains the surprising statistic of only 33% of college relationships becoming long-term commitments (Lindner, 2023). So, what hooks college students into these relationships in the first place?
The answer lies in the interplay between cortisol levels and the neurotransmitter serotonin when one first experiences romantic love. In response to the emotion of love, the body releases chemicals that make our hands sweat, our hearts race, and our anxiety levels peak. This gradually increases cortisol levels, which in turn decreases serotonin levels in the brain. This depletion of serotonin levels leads to what Schwartz, an Harvard Medical School associate professor of psychiatry at McClean Hospital, calls the “intrusive, maddeningly preoccupying thoughts, hopes, [and] terrors of early love” (Harvard Medical School, 2015). The feeling of excitement and your racing heartbeat as you search the room for your crush? Caused by low serotonin levels. The drop in your stomach when you accidentally make awkward eye contact? Low serotonin levels are the culprit once again.
Similarly, attaching yourself to someone in a romantic manner releases dopamine in the brain, triggering your brain’s innate reward system. As the dopamine reward system is continuously activated by romantic feelings, love can be as addictive as getting high on cocaine or drunk on alcohol when dopamine creates feelings of euphoria. In a study led by Adriana Galvan, a professor of psychology at UCLA, it was discovered that maturing brains produce more dopamine and are more sensitive to the chemical than mature brains. Galvan found that this sensitivity directly translates into vulnerability to damaging behaviors as the brain decides to devote its neurons to strengthening the addictive feedback loop that love offers us. So rather than exploring a connection slowly, young brains tend to push boundaries and rush into relationships as they are literally “addicted” to the feeling of euphoria that the connection offers (Hamilton, 2023).
A study at Stony Brook University extends upon Galvan’s research and emphasizes that the most intense activity in the brains of couples was found in the dopamine-rich ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain. The VTA is associated with the dopamine reward system and encourages partners to yearn for one another, which more often than not leads to “attachment bonds with addiction-related properties” (Acevedo 2011). The study’s findings suggest that it generally takes longer for those with still-maturing brains to truly critically analyze their relationships and reach the stage of “lasting love” as described by Schwartz, where love no longer is a stressor but a “buffer against stress” (Harvard Medical School 2015).
All of this is not to say that young adults are incapable of level-headed, stable romance. It surely is possible to reach a level of emotional and mental maturity where one overcomes the tumultuous, chemically-driven emotions of puppy love and maintains a stable, long-term relationship. However, as young adults whose chemical reaction to romance is characterized by heightened dopamine and cortisol levels and decreased serotonin levels, we must remain aware of this uncontrollable and addictive approach to love that many young adults fall victim to. Before falling head over heels, take a step back and determine whether you feel an immediate connection or whether you(r neural networks) are creating the illusion of an undeniable connection via a neurotransmitter-driven, addictive reward system. Many may say that love is purely a matter of the heart, but the brain’s involvement in the development of love is truly undeniable.
About the Author
Pascale Fung is a freshman at Harvard College, planning to study Neuroscience on the Mind, Brain, Behavior track.
References:
- Lindner, J. (2023, December 16). The most surprising college relationships statistics and trends
- in 2024 • gitnux. GITNUX. https://gitnux.org/college-relationships-statistics.
- Love and the brain. Harvard Medical School. (Spring 2015). https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/love-brain
- Hamilton, Jon. (2023, May 23). Want to Understand Your Adolescent? Get to Know Their Brain. NPR. www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/05/23/1175859398/want-to-understand-your-adolescentget-to-know-their-brain.
- Acevedo, Bianca. (2011, January 7). Love Can Last: SBU Imaging Study Shows Brain Activity of Those. Stony Brook University News. https://news.stonybrook.edu/newsroom/press-release/general/010711lovecanlast.
- Foster, Raylee, et al. (2023, April 4). Students Weigh in on Marriage before Age 25, Frontal Lobe Development - the Baylor Lariat. The Baylor Lariat - The Official Student News Source. https://baylorlariat.com/2023/04/03/students-weigh-in-on-marriage-before-age-25-frontal-lobe-development/.
