Love Doc II

6-16-09

I began talking about love and the brain yesterday. President Obama considered empathy as central to his pick for Supreme Court judge. By empathy he meant the ability to walk in someone else's shoes, not to be like them, but to resonate with them. I think empathy is essential in the psychology of politics and in the psychology of love. If extreme right wing and hate groups had more empathy for those they target, we would see less hate and more love.

Here's a little about empathy and our love lives. Empathy began in the infant mother interaction -the first love story. And that's because we are wired with mirror neurons that connect us to loved ones. These miniscule mirror neurons located behind the eye sockets trigger empathy, emotional resonance, and bonding. They also connect to other neurons that trigger the cascade of love chemicals I spoke about yesterday.

So we are neurologically and psychologically primed to love, to perpetuate intimate relationships. We really are born to love, so what goes wrong?

Stay tuned to more on love and the brain

Give me your thoughts, questions, and comments.

Dr Frances Cohen Praver