Scene: Charlie Brown and Lucy are leaning up against a brick wall.
Lucy: "How can you tell if you have a broken heart?"
Charlie: "Well, for one thing, if you have a broken heart,
you can't sleep at night.
When you roll over in bed, the jagged
edges poke you in the side."
you can't sleep at night.
When you roll over in bed, the jagged
edges poke you in the side."
Lucy: "I'm glad I talked to an expert."
In this month of hearts, flowers, candy and valentines, it can be difficult to be romantically "unattached" whether through a break up, separation, divorce, death, or (as with our cartoon pals) unrequited love.
There are familial, societal, instinctual and even, physiological prompts to be attached to someone.
The hormone, oxytocin, is produced in our brains and facilitates human bonding from infancy through adulthood.
Research studies since the 1950's have explored the necessity of emotional attachment for human development and survival (feel free to wiki the names John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth)
In academia, they call it the "neurogenetics of sociality".
In plainer terms it's why we seek to click with someone special.
If you're interested in knowing a bit more here are a few resources.
"The Chemistry of Love"-- a nice 5 minute YouTube clip with psychologist Dr. Abigail Marsh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp7Ydv5wAPk
In plainer terms it's why we seek to click with someone special.
If you're interested in knowing a bit more here are a few resources.
"The Chemistry of Love"-- a nice 5 minute YouTube clip with psychologist Dr. Abigail Marsh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp7Ydv5wAPk
"The Neurobiology of We"--- an Audible series with Dr. Daniel Siegal, a psychiatrist and medical researcher with an specialty in mindfulness
http://www.amazon.com/The-Neurobiology-We-Relationships-Interact/dp/159179949X
and Wikipedia's extensive entry on Attachment Theory (originated by Bowlby and Ainsworth)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_theory
Till next time, take heart.
