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<p>Pair- bonding and the Brain</p><p>Pair – Bonding and the Brain</p><p>Medical Institute Science Department Staff</p><p>August 2018</p><p>In the book, Hooked, authored by Medical Institute’s (MI) founder, Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., MD and our</p><p>current President and CEO, Freda McKissic Bush, MD, the science of bonding with a sexual partner</p><p>and the effects related to that bonding is discussed. As the authors and the MI science staff have</p><p>been reviewing the book for updates, it is encouraging to see that further studies on pair- bonding,</p><p>including research on the neurochemicals oxytocin, vasopressin and dopamine, continue to support</p><p>the precepts presented in Hooked. This article presents a review of some of the current literature</p><p>specifically relating to the brain and bonding.</p><p>The term pair-bonding is a scientific term used to describe a mating pattern in which a male and</p><p>female partner together in a relatively permanent manner. The term is used for many species of</p><p>animals, including humans. In monogamous systems, pair-bonding is associated not only with</p><p>relatively permanent partnering, but also with an exclusive mating relationship.1</p><p>Many studies done on pair-bonding have used prairie voles as research animals. Critics</p><p>of Hooked have argued that what happens in prairie voles has little to do with humans. They also</p><p>argue that although prairie voles are considered monogamous, some individual voles are</p><p>promiscuous. However, researchers continue to use prairie voles in search of answers to questions</p><p>about bonding in humans. It is not simply that prairie voles are monogamous creatures, but rather that</p><p>the neuroscience of bonding involves the same areas in the brain and the same neurochemicals that</p><p>are found both in humans and prairie voles. 2</p><p>The neurophysiology of pair-bonding is very complex, which makes it difficult to explain in layman’s</p><p>language. That is one reason that Hooked has been such a popular read. The authors were able to</p><p>break down for parents and other concerned adults these difficult brain processes in an</p><p>understandable, relatable way. However, as the explanations get passed on by word of mouth, the</p><p>pitfall of oversimplification can turn quickly to misunderstanding and inaccuracy. As people became</p><p>familiar with Oxytocin, a neurochemical that is critically involved with bonding, a common erroneous</p><p>theme emerged that Oxytocin production decreased with repeated sexual intercourse and thus people</p><p>who had repeated sex or multiple sexual partners no longer had the ability to bond with partners due to</p><p>a lack of Oxytocin. The truth is that people can damage their ability to bond, but it is not because of a</p><p>decrease in Oxytocin production. It is a much more complicated process involving brain molding, other</p><p>neurochemicals and higher brain functions.</p><p>Our behavior actually changes our brain. The connections between neurons that are stimulated by our</p><p>actions, increase with more use and decrease with less use. When a couple engages in sexual</p><p>behavior, neurotransmitters, such as oxytocin, vasopressin and dopamine stimulate formation of</p><p>synaptic connections in the brain, associating the pleasure of sex with the partners involved,</p><p>encouraging them to bond and to have more sex together, leading to the beginning of a family unit.</p><p>In 2014 another prairie vole study dealt with broken pair-bonds. The loss of a partner resulted in</p><p>anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors, disrupted bond-related behaviors and altered neuropeptide</p><p>systems that regulate such behaviors. The authors state that the prairie vole may well provide a model</p><p>for us to better understand partner loss and grief.3 In 2016, a study on separation of pair-bonded titi</p><p>monkeys also showed similar neural pathways and neurochemicals to be altered.4 So, again we see</p><p>that newer research has continued to show that breaking partner bonds is not only a painful emotional</p><p>experience, but that it also alters brain function and neurochemicals such as Oxytocin.</p><p>However, when an individual choses to engage in casual sex, breaking bond after bond with each new</p><p>sexual partner, the brain forms a new synaptic map of one-night –stands. This pattern becomes the</p><p>“new normal” for the individual. When and if the individual later desires to find a more permanent</p><p>partner, the brain mapping will have to be overcome, making a permanent bond more difficult to</p><p>achieve. Often the individual is not aware that the brain has adapted to the behavior pattern and</p><p>he/she begins to think, “That’s just the way I am”, further reinforcing the pattern. In conclusion,</p><p>research on bonding continues to support previous research showing that the brain is strongly</p><p>influenced by sexual behaviors. Dopamine pathways as well as oxytocin and vasopressin and other</p><p>neural systems are important factors in the formation of pair-bonds. When a person engages in sexual</p><p>behavior there are consequences above and beyond the possibility of unwanted pregnancy and</p><p>sexually transmitted infections. Bonding with a sexual partner is one of those results.</p><p>References:</p><p>1. Fletcher GJO, Simpson JA, Campbell L and Overall NC, “Pair-Bonding, Romantic Love, and Evolution:</p><p>The Curious Case of Homo sapiens, “ Perspectives on Psychological Science 2015, Vol. 10(1) 20-36.</p><p>2. Johnson ZV and Young LJ, “Neurobiological mechanisms of social attachment and pair-bonding,” Curr</p><p>Opin Behav Sci. 2015 Jun; 3: 38-44</p><p>3. Sun P, Smith AS, Lei K, et al, “Breaking bonds in male prairie vole: Long-term effects on emotional</p><p>and social behavior, physiology, and neurochemistry,” Behav Brain Res. 2014 May 15; 265: 22-31</p><p>4. Hinde K, Muth C, Maninger N, et al, “Challenges to the Pair Bond: Neural and Hormonal Effects of</p><p>Separation and Reunion in a Monogamous Primate,” Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Nov 2016,</p><p>Volume 10, Article 221.</p>