Robbie Wagoner

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1103-048
21 April 2016
WID
As of now, I believe that my thesis is nearing its final stages of completion. I hope that
after my paper is peer-reviewed at least one more time I will have all of the necessary
information to finish this assignment. At this point in time, I believe that my thesis could
receive a grade in 90-100 range. I have checked numerous times to ensure that every
aspect of the assignment sheet is met and that all of the initial requirements were
completed. I feel that I have put enough work into this assignment that my grade could
be a true reflection of my progress. In regards to the Student Learning Outcomes that I
have worked with while completing this assignment, I would say that the most heavily
used of the five would have to be critical reading. Having conducted massive amounts
of research on this topic of love and its effect on the brain, I have used critical reading
skills to analyze several scientific documents, using them to present my findings in an
orderly manner. As far as rhetorical knowledge, I have used my ability to identify the
genre and purpose of texts to use their information in my assignments. While retrieving
the information is crucial for this assignment, using my composing process skills to
skillfully develop a finalized project is another important factor that I have carefully
implemented. While creating these final projects, I have been sure to use my skills in
regards to the knowledge of conventions so that my creations follow formal rules and
show my expectations of correctness and appropriateness. However, one cannot forget

the significance of critical reflection, a skill that I was careful to execute throughout my
entire writing process. I used my ability to articulate my thoughts and explain why I
decided to include them within my texts.
Reflection 2
After receiving input from my fellow classmates, as well as my instructor, I believe that I
have revised this paper to its almost fullest potential. After taking care of all the
grammatical and wording errors, I was able to take on the much larger problem of
what to add in this paper. I knew that I needed to make this paper more personal and
explain my reasoning behind the research that I have presented, but I did not quite
know how to do that. After trying several techniques, I was finally able to express my
thoughts how I felt they needed to be written. Also, I was able to go into more depth
about the three stages of love, giving more details about them as a whole. Still feeling
the desire to meet every requirement on the assignment sheet, I took the time to
carefully analyze my newly revised work, checking to see that all of the criteria was met.
I believe that this final draft is superior to the first draft and that I was successful in fixing
all previous mistakes.
Reflection 1
While creating the first draft of my Thesis paper, I found it best to simply read over all of
my annotated bibliographies again. After doing this, my mind was filled with ideas as to
how I should go about writing this paper. Eventually, I decided to just write what I felt
was the best option, while also using the assignment sheet at a guide. I wanted to
ensure that each and every aspect of the assignment sheet was met, while also
keeping my personal interests at heart. After completing my first draft, I felt the need to

leave it alone for a couple days, returning to it later and reading it with a fresh mind.
After reading it, I found some grammatical errors that I promptly fixed, as well as a few
questionable statements that I decided to re-word to make the paper smoother.
Eventually, I created a draft that I believed to be a good start and usable within the
small conferences. I hope to receive input from my fellow classmates, as well as my
professor, that I can use to better my thesis paper.

The Brains Loving Response

Have you ever wondered what goes on in your head when you are in love?
There is no hesitation when discussing the amount of complexity a brain holds. A
specific topic that has sparked my interest, pertaining to the complex organ, is how the
brain reacts to romantic love. The term love is very broad and can be explained in an
infinite number of ways depending on the individual defining. There are different types of
love as well. There is romantic love, familial love, love in friendship and much more. I
came to a decision of focusing my research towards romantic love. With all this in
consideration, the true question that has come to mind is how the brain reacts differently
throughout the stages of love. In other words, how does the brain behave when initially
falling in love, being in love with a person for a short term and being in love for a long
term?
Before conducting research I developed an opinion and made prior assumptions
to my question. I believed that the brain must react differently towards the different
stages of love. Obviously in relationships, depending on the length, couples act
differently around each other. This is all due to the chemical reactions that occur in the
brain. A couple who has been together for years compared to a couple who has only

been together for a couple of weeks will not act the same around each other. Couples
will develop a deeper comfort level and a stronger love for each other as time
progresses throughout a relationship.
After conducting vigorous research for this topic I came upon a collection of
resources that enhanced my knowledge. With respect to the specific question that I
presented I had to find research for all of the stages of love rather than, just simply, how
the brain reacts to love in general. Due to the filtered selection there was only a small
selection of articles that explained the way the brain reacted to the different stages of
love. After considering these articles I began to develop a further, scientific perspective
on the brain when involved with love. Each article explained how love is such a complex
emotion to fully comprehend and cannot be explained to complete clarification.
However, each consisted of a variety of experiments that helped provide research to the
question and in assisting a more profound opinion to develop. After reading each article
that was specific for a certain stage I gathered the collected information and determined
what defines each specific stage. Time was the most profound indication of the different
stages. Depending on the time you spend with your significant other, this will be the
leading cause of the modification of your brain. Each stage, however, has different
symptoms caused by the particular stage.
The three stages of love can be explained in the following order: falling in love,
being in love for a short term and being in love for a long term. While each stage may
seem similar, they are far from the same. Each stage has its own diverse characteristics
that make it truly different from the other two. The first stage, falling in love, is
considered the most important stage of a relationship. This is where the first

impressions of love begin, meaning that it can have long-term effects on the remainder
of the relationship. It is where a couple begins to find similarities within one another, as
well as overlooking each others flaws. The second stage of love, being in love for a
short term, is also considered to be a very important aspect of a relationship. This stage
is where couples truly being to bond and find themselves becoming more and more
comfortable with their partner. Without this middle stage, couples would have a difficult
time deciding whether or not they feel the desire to stay with their current partner.
Finally, couples find themselves in the last stage of love, also known as being in love for
a long period of time. It is at this stage that a couple makes their decision to either stay
with their current partner, or leave. Couples tend to make well-thought out decisions
about their significant other and often use past experiences to decide on their final
decisions. If the first two stages of the relationship went well, couples often stay
together, however, if the first two stages went badly, this final stage is when a member
of the relationship decides to leave. Due to research that I have come across during this
assignment, I was able to find specific examples and precise explanations regarding
each stage of love.
Starting with the first stage of love, falling in love, I found a magazine article titled
What falling in love does to your heart and brain, which was published on February 6,
2014, retrieved from ScienceDaily and authored by the Loyola University Health
System. To begin, there are sparks in the brain that causes a massive amount of feelgood emotions to flow throughout the body. "This internal elixir of love is responsible for
making our cheeks flush, our palms sweat and our hearts race," said Pat Mumby, PhD,
co-director of the Loyola Sexual Wellness Clinic and professor, Department of

Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of

Medicine (Loyola University Health System). Chemicals that are produced by the brain
are also affected by love. Dopamine, norepinephrine and adrenaline levels are
increased significantly, which are also referred to as the feel-good emotions. These
three chemicals all have similar effects on the body. Dopamine, norepinephrine and
adrenaline all control heart rate, so when these levels increase so does your heart rate.
Thanks to the findings of Dr. Andre de Boer, a leading researcher and professor
at the University of Twente, located in the Netherlands and Dr. G.J. Ter Horst, a leading
researcher and professor at the University Medical Center of Groningen, also located in
the Netherlands, it is now understood that MRI scans have been conducted in order to
prove that the pleasure areas of the brain illuminate (due to blood flow) and are
involved when an individual is in love. The parts of the brain that are involved when
falling in love are the same parts that are highly active in Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder patients. This piece of information can explain why when first falling in love, an
obsession with your significant other occurs.
Due to the information provided by Mental Floss, an American media company
that uses their abilities to create a team of fact-loving individuals who research a wide
variety of topics and present their findings to an even wider range of audiences, it is
known that both OCD and falling in love lower serotonin levels in the brain, which
monitor and stabilize moods. Moreover, our brains block out any type of imperfection
that may be present due to the overwhelming happy chemicals that are present; thus
proving the statement love is blind. When falling in love there are three stages that
occur. The first, lust, is a hormone-derived stage when the brain experiences an

overwhelming feeling of want for their partner. The second, attraction, is the phase
when the brain will experience a surplus amount of blood flow in the pleasure centers
of the brain, which will result in a feeling of infatuation with their partner. The third stage,
attachment, is the phase where the behaviors that are present in the attraction phase
begin to dwindle. The brain starts to become immune to the pleasure stimulus.
Attachment creates a feeling of health and protection from their partner due to a vast
amount of happy chemical and hormones that enter the brain. These three stages are
the key in assisting a person to decide if the relationship they are in will be a long
standing one. If both lovers go through these stages, they will have the potential of a
long term relationship. However, if they do not, the two individuals need to reconsider
the relationship they are in.
During the second stage of love, short term relationships, I found a newspaper
article titled, The Brain on Love, which was published on March 24, 2014, retrieved
from The New York Times and authored by Diane Ackerman. The article begins by
discussing when an individual decides who to live their life with, it will ultimately alter
their brain. Our first experience of love beings when we are born, when our mothers
hold us in their arms. Brain scans have been conducted that show the related brain
functions a mother and baby experience when encountering each other for the first time.
These scans prove that the first attachment an infant has makes an impression into its
brain. This will be the source of love the infant will compare its future relationships to.
Moreover, once the brain has almost developed to full maturity, it will begin to desire for
romantic love. Loving relationships will change the brain in multiple ways, such as

developing different habits, new likes and dislikes, etc. Love can also change how the
brain reacts to pain, as seen within the scientific findings of James Coan.
James Coan, a neuroscientist at the University of Virginia, conducted multiple
experiments that have tested how the brain reacts to pain while in love. Pain is a
reaction in the brain that is developed through multiple nerve stimulations that cause a
signaling in the brain detecting a problem. Coan would stimulate pain in an individual,
through an electrical shock, once by themselves and once while holding the hand of
their partner. The results showed that while holding the hand of their partner, less pain
was felt. By holding their partner's hand it lowered stress levels, blood pressure and
caused a lower response to physical pain. This study ultimately showed that just being
in the presence of a loved one significantly reduced the amount of pain felt, proving that
love can change how the brain reacts to pain.
During the third stage, long term relationships, I came upon a magazine article
titled, Can you die from a broken heart? published on August 14, 2014, retrieved from
BBC and authored by Stephen Evans. Based on the article the best way to explain this
stage is through a study conducted by Evans himself. He collected stories of couples
that had been together for decades and died within hours of one another; thus providing
evidence to the claim that you cannot live without the love of your life. Research
published earlier this year in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that, while it
happened rarely, the number of people who had a heart attack or a stroke in the month
after a loved-one died was double that of a matched control group who were not
grieving (50 out of 30,447 in the bereaved group, or 0.16%, compared with 67 out of

83,588 in the non-bereaved group, or 0.08%) (Evans). So while these statistics show a
small death rate in each group, losing a loved one can cause terrible reactions.
The term 'broken heart' is commonly used to signify the pain of losing a
loved-one. Many individuals have spoken of broken heart syndrome, or stress
cardiomyopathy. This disorder is only a temporary condition where your heart muscles
become suddenly weakened or stunned. The left ventricle could change shape. It is
assumed that the sudden release of hormones (mainly adrenaline) is the main cause to
the stunning of the heart muscle. The brain has an average amount of hormones
released daily, but a sudden increase of the rate of release can be detrimental. The
article explains that many individuals who experience cardiomyopathy have normal
heart conditions prior to the disorder occurring. Many recover from this disorder and
their hearts recuperate. However, many elderly individuals are not capable of
completely recovering and have fatal results. It is a common misconception that love
occurs in an individuals literal heart. This statement is incorrect. Love is an emotion and
emotions occur in the brain. The heart is specifically used to transport oxygen through
red blood cells throughout the body. A person has a theoretical heart located in their
brain, causing the feelings to develop from being in love. The condition of
cardiomyopathy is an example of a reaction from brain stimulus. So, this piece of
information can be used as support that love in the brain can cause physical reactions
to occur in the body, thus meaning that this is where the heart can be in relation to love.
Based on my findings, I developed a more extensive understanding of the brain
and love. More specifically I discovered the ways the brain reacts to love when falling in
love, being in a short term relationship and being in a long term relationship. In the

beginning, before I began my research, I was aware that the emotion of love is located
and originates in the brain. However, I was very shocked when discovering all of the
chemical reactions that occur in the brain when in love. I was also surprised with the
different effects love can have on the body, such as increased blood flow, changes in
personality and physical effects such as cardiomyopathy. While the information that I did
read upon was research and experimentally oriented, the topic of love is still considered
extremely complex, and cannot be fully explained or comprehended even with the
impressive science we have today. It is unfortunately a topic that requires more than just
a scientific approach and more an emotional and psychological approach, which is
mainly determined by interpretation. Originally, I had planned to look at this complex
question from a psychological standpoint only, however I soon realized that this topic
could primarily be looked at from a scientific point of view, leaving me to wonder how a
psychological approach could be taken in regards to this topic of love and the brain. So,
after taking my research into consideration I have developed my own opinion that could
vary from someone elses, but I feel that no single opinion is necessarily the correct
one. Because of this, greater questions will be and have been developed, making the
topic of love more complex than ever imagined.

Work Cited:
Ackerman, Diane. "The Brain on Love." Opinionator The Brain on Love Comments. The
New York Times, 24 Mar. 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2016.
<http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/the-brain-on-love/?_r=0>.

Evans, Stephen. "Can You Die from a Broken Heart? - BBC News." BBC News. BBC,
14 Aug. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28756374>.

Loyola University Health System. "What falling in love does to your heart and brain."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 February 2014.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140206155244.htm>.

de, Boer A, Buel E. M. van, and Horst G. J. Ter. "Love Is More Than Just a Kiss: a
Neurobiological Perspective on Love and Affection." Neuroscience. 201.2 (2012):
114-124. Print.

"What Happens to Your Brain When You're in Love?" Mental Floss. Mental Floss, 13
Jan. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
<http://mentalfloss.com/article/54447/what-happens-your-brain-when-yourelove>