The bio-chemistry of 'love'
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By the time I was onto the last chapters of this book it was revelatory for me, covering the cultural, historical, evolutionary and bio-chemical aspects of love, the latter being of exceptional value.
This book explains the 'cold-turkey' effect after the honey-moon phase of a relationship. Learning that our bodies produce amphetimine-like substances when attracted to someone else can help explain those past relationship mistakes. The same applies to the next phase, developing oxytocin, the 'bonding' hormone produced when giving birth, whilst breast feeding ...and also when physically involved with another person. Learning that women produce more of this hormone than men, which has a similar effect to ecstacy inducing drugs like cocaine, might, as the book suggests, explain at least in part the 'women who love too much' syndrome.
It's also fascinating to find out that research using brain scans have shown that the same areas of the brain are activated by being in-love, suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and being addicted to drugs. It's no wonder then that there are so many errors of judgement in marriage decisions and relationships break-downs (because of the intensity of the in-lust feelings or when reduction in such intensity is minconstrued as having fallen out of 'love'). What a lot of pain and suffering might have been prevented if so many people had understood their bio-chemical reaction to another person for what it was.
'Love Sick' really has helped me in my healing of a 'broken heart' and the new understanding this book can supply might enable better management of future attractions, in particular, to be more self-protective.
This book will no doubt populate the shelves of my friends, sisters, nieces and nephews ...and maybe I will even send one to the ex.
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Highly Recommended
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Love Sick is a well written, highly insightful book. Frank Tallis is a Clinical Psychologist who draws upon ancient literature and psychological theory to persuasively argue that the stage of "Romantic Love" is a transient state more akin to mental illness than reality. I would recommend this book as compulsive reading to everyone, regardless of whether they're in a relationship or not. It could save some people a lot of heartache, help others recover from theirs, and I think it could be a major help for those who feel trapped in abusive relationships but still feel they "love" their partner. Absolutely Superb!
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