LOVE IN THE BODY IS ABOUT SEX HORMONES, BUT NOT IN THE HEAD & HEART. The HIGHER Brain makes the difference.
LOVE IN THE BODY IS ABOUT SEX HORMONES, BUT NOT IN THE HEAD & HEART.
The HIGHER Brain makes the difference
Sex hormones (estrogens, androgens like testosterone, and progestogens) are lipid-based, steroid chemical messengers primarily produced by the gonads (ovaries/testes) and adrenal glands. They are essential for sexual differentiation, reproduction, puberty, and maintaining tissues, while influencing the brain, mood, and metabolism across both sexes.
• Estrogens (e.g., Estradiol):Promotes female characteristics, regulates the menstrual cycle, supports pregnancy, and protects bone health.
• Androgens (e.g., Testosterone): Responsible for male characteristics (facial hair, voice deepening), spermatogenesis, and sexual desire (libido) in both sexes.
• Progestogens (e.g., Progesterone): Prepares the uterus for pregnancy and regulates the menstrual cycle.
The hormones are:
• Testosterone: The primary hormone driving sexual desire and initiation in both men and women.
• Estrogen: Promotes vaginal lubrication and increases sexual desire, with higher levels enhancing libido.
• Progesterone: Generally associated with lower libido and has a more complex, often inhibitory role compared to estrogen.
• Dopamine: A neurotransmitter/hormone that acts as a "reward" signal, driving desire, attraction, and excitement.
• Oxytocin: Often called the "love hormone," it is released during sexual activity and orgasm, fostering feelings of intimacy, bonding, and satisfaction.
• Prolactin: Released after orgasm in both men and women, it contributes to feelings of satisfaction but also acts to decrease desire and create a refractory period.
• Adrenaline: Increases during sexual activity, particularly peaking at orgasm.
Effects of Hormones on the Body and Nervous System
• Physical Development: Drives development of secondary sexual characteristics during puberty.
• Reproductive System: Manages libido, fertility, sperm production, and menstruation.
• Brain and Nervous System:Influences mood, cognitive function, and behavior by acting on brain receptors.
• Systemic Roles: Regulates bone density, cholesterol levels, and body fat distribution.
• Presence in All Genders: While females have higher estrogen and males have higher androgens, both types are present in all individuals.
• Fluctuation and Age: Levels peak after puberty and naturally decline with aging (e.g., menopause in women, reduced androgen levels in men during middle age).
ControlMechanisms:
Production is regulated by the pituitary gland through hormones like Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH).
• Sexual stimulation. Libido is driven by a complex interplay of hormones, primarily testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone, which regulate desire and arousal. Dopamine acts as a key "reward" neurotransmitter, enhancing motivation and pleasure, while oxytocin fosters bonding and satisfaction during orgasm. This can lead to addiction.
Hormonal shifts, such as those during adolescence, pregnancy, menopause and middle age can significantly impact libido due to changes in these hormones.
The "SOCIAL love hormone" is OXYTOCIN, a peptide hormone and neurotransmitter produced in the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland. It is associated with social bonding, trust, sexual arousal, childbirth, and breastfeeding, earning it nicknames like the "cuddle chemical" or "bonding hormone."
Oxytocin is primarily produced in the hypothalamus and then stored and released into the bloodstream by the posterior pituitary gland. Its release is triggered by positive social interactions like hugging, cuddling, and sexual activity, as well as during childbirth and breastfeeding.
Physiological Functions of oxytocin.
• Childbirth: Oxytocin stimulates uterine muscles to contract during labor and increases the production of prostaglandins, which further intensify contractions.
• Lactation: It promotes the "milk let-down" reflex by contracting myoepithelial cells in the mammary glands, allowing milk to be released during breastfeeding.
• Reproduction: In males, oxytocin plays a role in sperm transport and the production of testosterone.
• Social Behavior: It acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain, influencing behaviors such as social recognition, trust, empathy, and the formation of romantic and maternal attachments.
Source: Endocrine Reproductive Hormones | Endocrine Society
SEXUAL ADDICTION
Sexual addiction, often referred to as hypersexuality, is heavily influenced by neurochemical and hormonal imbalances, specifically high levels of oxytocin and dopamine, which reinforce reward pathways. Research indicates that men with hypersexual disorder often have elevated oxytocin, while dopamine drives the urge and reward sensation. Other implicated hormones include testosterone, DHEA-S, and cortisol.
Key Hormones and Neurotransmitters Involved in Sexual Addiction:
• Oxytocin: Known as the "love hormone," studies found significantly higher levels of plasma oxytocin in men with hypersexual disorder. This hormone is associated with sexual arousal, orgasm, and bonding, and its reduction often follows successful behavioral therapy.
• Dopamine: Central to the brain’s reward system, it drives the desire for sexual stimuli, acting similarly to drug addiction by creating a high-intensity reward. Dopamine dysregulation syndrome, often linked to medication, can trigger hypersexual urges.
• Testosterone: While it plays a role in overall sexual functioning and libido, its levels do not always correlate directly with the severity of compulsive behavior, but it acts as a facilitator for sexual desire.
• DHEA-S: Elevated levels of this adrenal hormone, which aids in producing stronger sex hormones, have been associated with increased sex drive in some women with sex addiction.
• Serotonin and Norepinephrine:Imbalances or overactivity in these neurotransmitters are associated with heightened, uncontrolled sexual urges.
• Stress Hormones (Cortisol):The HPA axis, involved in stress responses, is implicated, with sexual behavior sometimes used as a coping mechanism for stress.
These hormones work together to create a cycle of craving, compulsion, and temporary relief, often hijacking the brain's natural reward system similarly to substance addiction
Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov). Understanding and Managing Compulsive Sexual Behaviors = PCM
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (AGAPE) IS NOT ABOUT SEX AT ALL
The primary hormone of unconditional love, attachment, and deep bonding is oxytocin, often called the "love hormone" or "cuddle chemical". It promotes feelings of contentment, safety, and security. Other key chemicals include vasopressin (long-term bonding), dopamine (pleasure/ reward), and serotonin (emotional stability).
• Oxytocin: Released through physical touch, skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, and emotional closeness, it creates secure attachment and reduces stress. It is essential for nurturing behaviors and deepening emotional connections.
• Vasopressin: Linked to long-term, monogamous commitment and protective behaviors, it fosters enduring relationships.
• Dopamine: Responsible for the feelings of pleasure, joy, and euphoria associated with being with a loved one.
• Serotonin: Helps maintain a calm, balanced emotional state, which supports stable, lasting love.
These hormones work together to create a "love cocktail" that fosters trust, reduces anxiety, and encourages nurturing behaviors essential for deep, unconditional attachment.
Source: Harvard Medical School Love and the Brain | Harvard Medical School
MALE AND FEMALE ORGASMS (DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES)
Because the mix in hormones differs in males versus females, their orgasms differ primarily in speed, duration, and physiological refractory periods. Male orgasms are typically faster to achieve, directly linked to ejaculation, and followed by a refractory period. Female orgasms often take longer, can be multiple, and frequently require clitoral stimulation rather than penetration. Both involve rhythmic muscle contractions.
Key Differences and similarities Between Male and Female Orgasms
• Duration and Intensity: Female orgasms often last longer, while male orgasms are usually more rapid and intense.
• Refractory Period: Men usually experience a mandatory waiting period (refractory period) between orgasms. Women may experience multiple, successive orgasms without this break.
• Stimulation Requirements:Most women require direct clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm, whereas men often reach climax through penile stimulation/penetration.
• Ejaculation vs. Contraction:Male orgasm is generally, but not always, accompanied by ejaculation. Female orgasm involves rhythmic contractions of the pelvic floor muscles, vagina, and uterus.
• Time to Climax: On average, it takes longer for women to reach orgasm (often 30-40 minutes) compared to men (2-3 minutes).
Key Similarities
• Physiological Response: Both involve increased heart rate, blood pressure, and rhythmic, involuntary muscle contractions.
• Subjectivity: Both are subjective experiences and can vary in intensity, regardless of the person's gender.
Brain Activity: Both involve a release of cerebral neuronal tension, and the brain’s pleasure centers are involved in similar ways for both.
While societal factors can influence these differences, biologically, the male orgasm is more consistently tied to the release of tension through ejaculation, while the female orgasm is often more varied in its intensity and source.
Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov) Men versus women on sexual brain function: Prominent differences…
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Marie Louise Bosin
