RESEARCHERS would love it, just love it, if people in the North East would pass on their personal take on passion and romance.
Psychologists and anthropologists at Durham University are investigating what constitutes love.
They are now calling on people to share their thoughts, anonymously, on the varying degrees of love and their present or past partners through an online survey.
The researchers believe love can be divided into three components: lust, romance and attachment with each of the elements having its own distinct function.
But the question is whether people can experience romantic love without sexual desire, or if attachments can come before romance.
Results from the study will help to understand whether humans are a naturally pair-bonded species and if this is the case, whether we pair bond for life or, as some have suggested, just for as long as it takes to raise a child past “toddlerhood”.
The researchers also hope to find out more about what holds couples together and whether this is different for men and women.
Professor Anne Campbell, from Durham University’s Psychology Department, said: “We are calling on people to share their experiences, anonymously, of their relationships and desires to get a better understanding of the interaction between lust, romance and attachment.
“Take romance. It seems inexplicable to most people but it is found in every culture around the world, albeit normally with a limited shelf life. Although it may seem a mystifying phenomenon, psychologists believe its function is to focus the sex drive on to one preferred partner.
“Two brain neurochemicals seem to be involved: dopamine, which is associated with pleasure, and oxytocin, linked to bonding. The levels of these chemicals increase during sexual activity in monogamous species and the resulting cocktail feels like romantic love.
“Likewise, there are evolutionary explanations for lust and attachment too. Our aim now is to understand the interaction between these seemingly distinct functions of love.”
Anyone interested in taking part in this research should visit www.durham.ac.uk/psychology
