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You’d think that after hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, we would have adapted beyond our basic primal instincts. It turns out, that these innate urges have stayed with us almost unchanged as inbuilt processes within the oldest regions of our brains.
It’s hard to know which part of us is in the driving seat when it comes to lust. Our attraction to someone initiates a cascade of hormones which in turn, reinforces our attraction. Nothing short of extreme will power is required to overcome such a potent biochemical force.
There are several regions and chemicals at play in this tsunami of emotions, the most powerful among them, in my view, being the so called ‘love hormone’, oxytocin. This neuro-peptide is involved in multiple behaviour patterns from tickling our pleasure centres during sex, to forging mother-baby bonds with infants.
A recent study from the Weizmann Institute of Science suggests that it is also responsible for negative behaviour. This neuro-modulator activates specific neural pathways according to the environmental conditions in which a subject finds themselves.
In a harmonious and loving relationship, oxytocin can reinforce the feelings of closeness and loyalty, but under quarantine conditions with limited space or food, the same chemical can trigger…