Why Women Have Sex On The Brain

Scientific study has answered the question of why we fall in love in the most unromantic way possible

THE question that has perhaps most obsessed and mystified the poets, philosophers and thinkers — why do we fall in love? — has been answered in the most unromantic way possible: by the scientific study of the humble prairie vole.
Music was the food of love in Shakespeare’s book, but the truth, according to Professor Gareth Leng of the University of Edinburgh, lies in a “love potion” created in women’s brains after the act of sex, which helps her to form a bond with her partner.

Professor Leng, speaking to the British Association Science Festival in Glasgow yesterday, said that it is all in the chemistry because of evidence gleaned from the vole, which engages in enormous bouts of sexual intercourse, far in excess of that needed for reproduction.

“If you were to spend (many hours in) intense sexual activity with a partner, something fundamental might happen to your behaviour,” he said. “That’s often what you see in animals. Many animals bond for life. It’s not going to surprise anybody to think something fundamental is happening in the brain.”

Oxytocin, produced by the pituitary gland in the brain, is probably also involved in creating the bond between mother and child at birth and during breast-feeding. In prairie voles, a monogamous species, the effect is especially strong.

“If you put a male and female prairie vole into a cage, but don’t allow them to mate, they seem to form a kind of friendship. But if you inject oxytocin into the female’s brain, she will form this sexual bond.”

Professor Leng said: “We’re talking about 24 hours of constant copulation.” Translated to human behaviour, he said, this could mean that the more sex a couple have, the deeper their bond becomes, at least on the woman’s side.

“So how does a brain fall in love? My answer, perhaps, like yours, would be: a time, a place, a pair of eyes.”

From an e-mail by a lady friend:

"Subject: What I want in a man:

What I Want in a Man - Original List

1. Handsome
2. Charming
3. Financially successful
4. A caring listener
5. Witty
6. In good shape
7. Dresses with style
8. Appreciates finer things
9. Full of thoughtful surprises
10. An imaginative, romantic lover

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 32)

1. Nice looking (prefer hair on his head)
2. Opens car doors, holds chairs
3. Has enough money for a nice dinner
4. Listens more than talks
5. Laughs at my jokes
6. Carries bags of groceries with ease
7. Owns at least one tie
8. Appreciates a good home-cooked meal
9. Remembers birthdays and anniversaries
10. Seeks romance at least once a week

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 42)

1. Not too ugly (bald head OK)
2. Doesn't drive off until I'm in the car
3. Works steady - splurges on dinner out occasionally
4. Nods head when I'm talking
5. Usually remembers punch lines of jokes
6. Is in good enough shape to rearrange the furniture
7. Wears a shirt that covers his stomach
8. Knows not to buy champagne with screw-top lids
9. Remembers to put the toilet seat down
10. Shaves most weekends

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 52)

1. Keeps hair in nose and ears trimmed
2. Doesn't belch or scratch in public
3. Doesn't borrow money too often
4. Doesn't nod off to sleep when I'm venting
5. Doesn't retell the same joke too many times
6. Is in good enough shape to get off couch on weekends
7. Usually wears matching socks and fresh underwear
8. Appreciates a good TV dinner
9. Remembers your name on occasion
10. Shaves some weekends

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 62)

1. Doesn't scare small children
2. Remembers where bathroom is
3. Doesn't require much money for upkeep
4. Only snores lightly when asleep
5. Remembers why he's laughing
6. Is in good enough shape to stand up by himself
7. Usually wears some clothes
8. Likes soft foods
9. Remembers where he left his teeth
10. Remembers that it's the weekend

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 72)

1. Breathing
2. Doesn't miss the toilet"

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