Ever wonder why your long term relationship sometimes loses its spark? Or why most couples divorce after year 4 of marriage? According to the latest "Dating From The Inside Out" column on Online Dating Magazine, it could be biological. From the article:
"Biology, working against us, continues to persuade us to ruin perfectly good relationships in pursuit of its procreation goals. The basic neurochemical reward for engaging in passionate sex is a blast of dopamine to the “pleasure/reward” center of the “primitive brain.” In rat studies, the mechanism has been known to work so well that it’s been found that allowing a rat to stimulate the “pleasure/reward” part of its brain without constraint, it can “delight” itself to death without even stopping to eat.
"Based on the above, can we then surmise that biology really serves our best survival interests when it encourages that sort of chemically addictive scenario? It has now been argued that this compelling, chemical reward mechanism that worked well for distant forbearers in relation to the scarcity of food and sex, now actually creates havoc in the modern world. It may be precisely what is behind other social addictions such as gambling, food, alcohol and drug excesses, obesity, and the like."
This may seem as if all relationships are ruled by our instincts, but author explains that "harmonious relationships offer far greater rewards than biology’s mere empty disadvantages" and that we have the power to pick between remaining loyal and thrills of intimate union. In any case, the most important thing is to find balance and understand what makes you feel most comfortable.
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