Summary: A new, world-first study examines how romantic love interacts with the brain’s Behavioral Activation System (BAS), revealing how love shifts attention and motivation toward a romantic partner.
Researchers surveyed 1,556 young adults who described themselves as “in love,” asking about their emotional reactions to their partners, the behaviors they display around them, and the degree to which their partner occupies their attention. The results indicate that romantic love produces measurable changes in brain-related motivational systems, making the loved one a central focus of thought and behavior.
This research contributes to our scientific understanding of romantic love, a complex human experience that has intrigued scholars and poets for centuries.
Key Facts:
- This is the first study to explore the relationship between the human Behavioral Activation System (BAS) and romantic love at scale.
- Findings show that romantic love alters brain-related motivational systems, increasing focus and approach behavior toward the loved one.
- Planned follow-up work will examine gender differences in romantic approaches and a global survey aiming to identify four distinct types of romantic lovers.
Source: University of South Australia
“Love is blind,” the old saying goes—this first-of-its-kind Australian study brings us closer to understanding why our brains behave that way when we fall in love.
Previous work has shown that romantic attachment involves neurochemicals such as oxytocin and dopamine, which contribute to feelings of attachment and reward. Building on those insights, researchers from the Australian National University (ANU), the University of Canberra, and the University of South Australia measured how sensitivity in the Behavioral Activation System helps explain why our partners become so prominent in our minds during early romance.
The research team surveyed 1,556 partnered young adults who reported experiencing romantic love. Survey items probed participants’ emotional responses to their partner, how they behaved in their partner’s presence, and how much attention and priority they gave their loved one.
Results indicate that being in love corresponds with specific patterns of motivational sensitivity: the loved person becomes the central object of approach-related thoughts and actions, consistent with BAS activation. In practical terms, romantic love shifts priorities and motivates behaviors aimed at proximity, reward, and bonding.
Lead researcher Adam Bode (ANU) explains that this study, published in the journal Behavioral Sciences, advances our knowledge of the mechanisms that underpin romantic love. He notes that while romantic love likely has deep evolutionary roots, much remains unknown about how it developed and functions across human populations.
Dr Phil Kavanagh (University of Canberra and adjunct at UniSA) highlights how neurochemistry and motivational systems interact in romantic love. Oxytocin and dopamine together help create powerful positive associations with a partner: oxytocin supports attachment and social bonding, while dopamine enhances reward-related motivation and approach tendencies. The combination helps to explain why loved ones can assume such importance in one’s life.
Future phases of the project will investigate sex and gender differences in romantic strategies and will deploy a larger international survey to categorize different romantic styles. The team anticipates identifying distinct patterns of romantic attachment and approach across diverse populations.
About this neuroscience and love research news
Author: Candy Gibson
Source: University of South Australia
Contact: Candy Gibson – University of South Australia
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Romantic Love and Behavioral Activation System Sensitivity to a Loved One” by Adam Bode et al., Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Romantic Love and Behavioral Activation System Sensitivity to a Loved One
Research into the mechanisms that contribute to romantic love remains at an early stage. The Behavioral Activation System is a biopsychological framework that helps explain approach motivation and reward-seeking behavior, and it has been linked to various motivational outcomes.
This study represents the first systematic effort to connect romantic love with BAS sensitivity. In Study 1, the researchers validated the Behavioral Activation System—Sensitivity to a Loved One (BAS-SLO) Scale in a sample of 1,556 partnered young adults who reported being in love. The scale measures how strongly the approach-related motivational system responds specifically to a romantic partner.
In Study 2, hierarchical linear regression analyzed associations between BAS-SLO scores and the intensity of romantic love in a subsample of 812 partnered young adults who had been in love for two years or less. The BAS-SLO Scale accounted for 8.89% of the variance in reported romantic love intensity in this subsample.
Subject to further validation and testing, the BAS-SLO Scale may prove useful in future neuroimaging studies and psychological investigations of romantic attachment, motivation, and the evolutionary history of love. These findings advance our understanding of how motivational brain systems contribute to the powerful experience of romantic love.