Brain researchers have started looking for love in all the right places. And they found that different types of love light up our brain in different ways.
They also found that love for children generated the most intense brain activity, closely followed by romantic love.
Researchers from Aalto University tracked how different types of love lit up different regions of the brain.
The research revealed brain activity was influenced not only by the closeness of the object of love, but also by whether it is a human being, a pet or nature.
“Unsurprisingly, compassionate love for strangers was less rewarding and caused less brain activation than love in close relationships,” the research report said.
“Meanwhile, love of nature activated the reward system and visual areas of the brain, but not the social brain areas.”
Study coordinator Pärttyli Rinne said the team reviewed parental love for children as well as love for romantic partners, friends, strangers, pets and nature for the study, published this week in the Cerebral Cortex journal, Oxford University Press.
‘In parental love, there was activation deep in the brain’s reward system in the striatum area while imagining love, and this was not seen for any other kind of love,” Dr Rinne said.
“The biggest surprise…was that the brain areas associated with love between people ended up being very similar, with differences lying primarily in the intensity of activation.”
The researchers hope that their work will enhance mental health interventions in conditions like attachment disorders, depression or relationship issues.
The full report is on the Aalto University website.
