Scientists Identify Brain Areas Activated by Different Types of Love

Researchers from Aalto University in Finland have discovered that different types of love activate distinct regions of the brain, with parental love generating the most intense brain activity. The study, which used MRI scans to measure brain activity, involved 55 participants aged between 28 and 53, all of whom were parents in loving relationships. The research identified six types of love: parental, romantic, friendships, pets, strangers, and nature. Parental love was found to be the most powerful, activating a larger number of brain regions, particularly those associated with the reward system and social processing.

Romantic love also caused significant brain activity, though it was less widespread compared to parental love. Love for friends showed similar patterns of activation to romantic love, while love for pets and nature primarily activated the reward system and visual areas, without engaging the social cognition areas as strongly. Compassionate love for strangers was the least rewarding, causing the least brain activation. The findings, published in the Cerebral Cortex journal, suggest that the intensity and brain response to love vary depending on the closeness of the relationship and whether the object of love is human, another species, or nature.