Pink and Cream Basic Presentation Template

Understanding
the Chemistry of
Lust, Love and
Attachment
Falling in love can be a
beautifully wild experience.
It is a rush of longing,
passion, and euphoria. Fast
forward a few years, and
the excitement would have
died down (though the
levels vary for every
couple). For couples who
remain together through
the years, the rush would
have been replaced by a
warm, comfortable, and
nurturing feeling.
Anthropologist Helen Fisher of Rutgers University proposed
three stages of falling in love; and for each stage, a
different set of chemicals run the show.
The three stages of falling in love are:
1. Lust (erotic passion);
2. Attraction (romantic passion); and
3. Attachment (commitment).
Lust (erotic passion)
This stage is marked by physical attraction. You

want to seduce and be seduced by your object
of affection. Lust is driven by testosterone in
men and estrogen in women Lust, however, will
not guarantee that the couple will fall in love in
any lasting way.
Attraction (romantic passion)
At this stage, you begin to crave for your

partner's presence. You feel excitement and
energetic as you fantasize about the things you
could do together as a couple. Three chemicals
trigger this feeling: norepinephrine, dopamine,
and serotonin.
Norepinephrine : Boosts energy, heart rate,
suppresses appetite, and promotes
alertness.
Dopamine
: Drives motivation, pursuit of love
interest, and creates a sense of
excitement.
Serotonin
: Linked to obsessive thoughts, with
lower levels associated with OCD
and possibly love.
Attachment (commitment)
Attachment involves the desire to have

lasting commitment with your significant
other. At this point, you may want to get
married and/or have children.
Psychological aspect of sexual desire
• Sexual desire is the urge for sexual engagement, often
triggered by various stimuli like thoughts, fantasies, or erotic
materials.
• It's distinct from sex drive, which is a biological motivation

for sexual activity, while sexual desire is a psychological
experience.
• Hormones may play a role in facilitating sexual desire, but

it's not solely dependent on them.
• Even children as young as nine may experience sexual

desires due to hormonal development, but typically lack the
motivation for sexual activity until puberty, around 12 years
old.
Gender differences on sexual desire
Factors influencing the gender gap in sexual desire include:
• Culture
• Social environment; and even
• Political situations
• Women often prioritize interpersonal connections in their

sexual experiences, while men tend to engage more in casual
sexual behavio
• Some researchers suggest that throughout history, women

faced evolutionary pressures to choose mates carefully for
reproductive success, leading to potentially less intense sexual
Physiological mechanisms of sexual behavior motivation
• Animal research provides insights into how the body's

systems drive sexual behavior and motivation.
• The hypothalamus, a brain region involved in

motivated behaviors, including sex, is crucial.
• Studies with rats suggest that the ability to engage

in sex and the desire to do so might involve separate
brain systems.
• Limbic system structures, like the amygdala and
nucleus accumbens, are key for sexual motivation:
• The amygdala is essential for processing emotions and
motivation.
• The nucleus accumbens, known as the pleasure center,

influences motivation and the response to rewards. It helps turn
emotional stimuli into actions.
The Diversity of Sexual
Behavior
• Sexual behavior, like eating, is essential for human life,
primarily for species continuation, but it serves broader
purposes.
• Sexual orientation refers to a person's overall sexual attraction
toward partners of the same sex, opposite sex, or both.
• Recent studies show that even people who identify as

completely heterosexual may occasionally experience same-sex
desires without necessarily acting on them or changing their
sexual orientation.
• Some confuse sexual orientation
with gender identity due to
stereotypes about homosexuality, but
they're separate. GE NDE R
• Sexual orientation is about who we're
IDE NT IT Y
attracted to emotionally and sexually.
• Gender identity is our sense of

being male or female, which usually
matches our biological sex but not
always.
What is
LGBTQ+??
LGBTQ+ is an umbrella term for various gender

identities, sexual orientations, and romantic
orientations.
L • stands for lesbian, females attracted exclusively to
women.
G• stands for gay, referring to males attracted exclusively to the
same gender or anyone attracted to their same gender.
B • stands for bisexual, attracted to both men and

women.
T • Trans/Transgender encompasses people not
identifying with their assigned gender at birth.
• Trans women are male to female individuals identifying as
women, while trans men are female to male individuals
identifying as men.
Q • Q stands for queer, a term for those questioning their
identities or preferring a broader label.
+ • Q stands for queer, a term for those questioning their

identities or preferring a broader label.
Sexual orientation is generally considered stable and
not a choice, with LGBTQ+ individuals not choosing
their orientation but deciding whether to be open about
it.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Issues
• Biological sex doesn't always tell the whole story about

who we are.
• Sex is what doctors assign at birth based on physical
characteristics, while gender is more about how we see
ourselves.
• Gender identity is our inner sense of being male, female,
both, or neither, which may or may not match our assigned
sex.
• Sexual orientation is who we're attracted to, whether
it's the same gender, opposite gender, or both.
• Different cultures have different views
on sexuality and gender.
Sociocultural
• In some places, specific behaviors are
Factors expected for certain genders.
• Countries like Thailand recognize

more than just male and female
genders.
Family Influences
• How we're raised affects how we see

ourselves and others.
• Parents who stick to traditional gender

roles may pass those beliefs on to their
children.
• Parents who stick to traditional gender
roles may pass those beliefs on to their
children.
• This can influence how children think
about themselves and their roles in society.
Urban Setting
• Homosexuality is more common in urban areas,

especially among men.
• Big cities offer a more accepting environment for

same-gender relationships.
•Cities provide spaces for LGBTQ+ people to socialize and

support each other.
• Living in cities may help LGBTQ+ individuals cope

with discrimination and harassment.
Rural
• Rural areas often have higher levels of
Challenge intolerance and less support for LGBTQ+
individuals.
s • Social isolation is more common in rural areas
for LGBTQ+ people.
• Some studies suggest that rural living may

be more beneficial for LGBTQ+ well-being, but
this is less supported.
• Some studies suggest a link between
History of childhood sexual abuse and later
Sexual homosexuality or bisexuality.
Abuse
• However, these studies have been
criticized for being unreliable.
• Other research found no significant

relationship between childhood abuse and
adult sexual orientation.

Pink and Cream Basic Presentation Template

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pink and Cream Basic Presentation Template

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pink and Cream Basic Presentation Template

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Understanding

The three stages of falling in love are:

1. Lust (erotic passion);

2. Attraction (romantic passion); and

This stage is marked by physical attraction. You

At this stage, you begin to crave for your

Attachment involves the desire to have

• It's distinct from sex drive, which is a biological motivation

• Hormones may play a role in facilitating sexual desire, but

• Even children as young as nine may experience sexual

• Social environment; and even

• Women often prioritize interpersonal connections in their

• Some researchers suggest that throughout history, women

• Animal research provides insights into how the body's

• The hypothalamus, a brain region involved in

• Studies with rats suggest that the ability to engage

• The nucleus accumbens, known as the pleasure center,

• Recent studies show that even people who identify as

• Gender identity is our sense of

LGBTQ+ is an umbrella term for various gender

B • stands for bisexual, attracted to both men and

+ • Q stands for queer, a term for those questioning their

• Biological sex doesn't always tell the whole story about

• Countries like Thailand recognize

• How we're raised affects how we see

• Parents who stick to traditional gender

• Homosexuality is more common in urban areas,

• Big cities offer a more accepting environment for

•Cities provide spaces for LGBTQ+ people to socialize and

• Living in cities may help LGBTQ+ individuals cope

• Some studies suggest that rural living may

• Other research found no significant

You might also like