The Role of Dopamine in Romantic Relationships (DP IB Psychology): Revision Note

Dopamine

• Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers transported via electrical impulses from the presynaptic neuron to the postsynaptic neuron across the synaptic cleft

• They allow communication between cells, both within the brain and between the brain and body

Dopamine: the monoamine neurotransmitter

• Dopamine belongs to a group of neurotransmitters called monoamines

• Brain regions involved in dopamine production include:

  • Ventral tegmental area (VTA)

  • Nucleus accumbens

  • Caudate nucleus

  • Basal ganglia

Functions of dopamine

• Dopamine plays a key role in movement and motor skills, with deficiency linked to the development of Parkinson’s disease

• Irregular levels of dopamine have been associated with schizophrenia, forming the basis of the dopamine hypothesis

• Dopamine is strongly linked to reward and motivation, as it is associated with pleasure, reinforcement, and euphoria, driving behaviour through positive consequences

Dopamine & romantic love

• Dopamine is strongly associated with addiction, specifically the surge of feelings and sensations experienced with drugs such as cocaine

  • E.g., euphoria, excitement, thrills, feeling 'high'

• Fisher et al.'s (2005) research focuses on the 'heady' experience that comes with the early stages of romantic love:

  • Not being able to eat or sleep

  • Feeling restless

  • Daydreaming/obsessing about the loved one

  • Perceiving colours as being more vivid

  • Going through 'withdrawal' when not with the loved one (craving their presence, feeling low without them etc.)

• These feelings and sensations only happen in the early stages of romantic love (about the first six months of the relationship)

  • Once the couple have got used to each other, their relationship settles down into a more stable state

• Fisher argues that early romantic love brings with it excess dopamine neurotransmission and this is what produces the feelings of euphoria

Research support for the role of dopamine in romantic love

Fisher et al. (2005)

Aim:

• To investigate a possible link between dopaminergic brain regions/systems and the early stages of romantic love.

Participants:

• A self-selected sample of 10 female and 7 male students from New York State University, aged 18-26 years old (mean age = 20 years)

• All participants reported that they were ‘in love’ (time spent together from a range of 1-17 months with a mean of 7 months)

Procedure:

• Participants were placed in an fMRI scanner and shown a photograph of their romantic partner

• This was followed by a distraction task

• They were then shown a ‘neutral’ photograph of an acquaintance with whom they had no emotional connection

Results:

• The fMRI showed that the areas of the brain most active when the photograph of the romantic partner was viewed were the right ventral tegmental areas in the midbrain and the right caudate nucleus

• These regions of the brain have been associated with dopamine production, which in turn has been associated with motivation and reward

Conclusion:

• People who are in the early stages of romantic love may access brain regions associated with dopamine release when in the presence (physical or virtual) of their romantic partner

• Therefore, it could be said that people become ‘addicted to love’

Evaluation of the role of dopamine in romantic relationships

Strengths

• The findings of the above study support previous research into the role of dopamine in substance addiction so it is interesting to see how romantic love may fall under the same framework of craving and withdrawal

• The fMRI showed activity in the dopaminergic areas of the brain only when the photograph of the romantic partner was shown, which increases the internal validity of the study

Limitations

• It could be argued that a sample with a mean age of 20 years are more likely to be socially active and involved in pleasure-focused activities than an older sample, which would mean that the ‘pleasure centre’ of their brains would be more receptive to dopamine

• There could be other explanations for the activation of the dopamine-rich areas of the brain being active during the fMRI

  • E.g., excitement at taking part in a study, curiosity as to the outcome of the study, nerves

Link to concepts

Perspective

• Fisher's study is an example of biological reductionism, as it claims that the complex, multi-layered, subjective experience of being in love can all be attributed to the work of one neurotransmitter

• Romantic love does not just manifest at the biological level but at the cognitive and sociocultural levels

  • E.g., shared worldview, shared hobbies, compatible personalities, familiarity with each other, etc.

• Biological reductionism does not account for the context in which behaviours such as romantic love occur; in effect, it takes the human out of human relationships

Change

• Romantic love – even in its early stages – may be subject to change and fluctuation

• Fisher's study assumes that the experience is universal and that dopamine plays a key role in cementing the relationship via a heady dose of brain chemistry

• People, however, (to quote a song by The Doors) are strange and may not stick to 'the plan', as it were

  • They may ignore their feelings and not pursue the relationship; they may cheat on the person they are in love with; they may decide to take a job hundreds of miles away, putting the relationship in jeopardy.

    • These are examples of cognitive dissonance – knowing that you love someone but choosing to potentially sabotage the relationship anyway