i was reading lawrence's lady chatterley's lover one night in camp when i was struck by a thought. are emotions just something that are chemically induced by the brain or is there something more human to it? what does it mean to be happy or sad? is laughing and crying solely a physical response to hormones that are being pumped? surely there has to be something more than just that, or is that what we all are at the end; servant to our own body?

in february's issue of national geographic, the magazine paid homage to st. valentine with a cover story about the science of love. i'm sure this was definitely not what the poor saint was expecting but it was extremely enlightening.

the article talks about the chemistry involved when a person is in love, stating that a person in love releases dopamine, a natural chemical released by the body. this lovely little piece of god's creation is the one that allows you to stay up all night with your lover to watch the sunrise without thinking about sleep, the one that makes you do crazy things and take uncalculated risks for that one special someone. this is the proverbial butterfly in that stomach of yours. in short, dopamine is the what cupid's arrow injects into you; the first hint of passion.

over time, that passion wanes (unfortunte but inevitable), that fire dies down to a comfortable temperature bodering on tepid because of children and responsibilites. now that dopamine-induced state is replaced by an oxytocin-induced one. oxytocin promotes a feeling of closeness and bonding, the kind of emotion related to hugging parents, children and close friends. passionate lovers become lifetime partners that care for one other. i'm taking for granted, of course, that this hypothetical marriage pans out all right in the end.

sounds extremely technical doesnt it? love is now nicely laid out in chemical terms. the crazy thing is that since it's all hormones and chemicals, cant we chemically induce this state and use these hormones for our own advantage? i mean there is (frightful) potential.

the high levels of oxytocin that are present in prairie voles (rodents) result in them being monogamous, sticking to one mate for life. when oxytocin receptors are blocked, the rodents tend to roam and go in search of more mates. therefore, oxytocin promotes monogamy. so cant we use this as a form of hormone therapy to 'treat' those who have a high tendency to infidelity? it'll help those involved and they'll definitely avoid a whole lot of messy divorce shit. in a way, this is securing security, and since oxytocin brings about feelings of closeness and bonding, the couple should be fine.

also, scientists found out that people in love have 40% less serotonin in their blood. (serotonin is a neurotransmitter believed to play a huge role in regulation of mood, appetite, sexuality and sleep). prozac (a bicoloured miracle anti-depressant pill for those suffering for depression and o.c.d.) on the other hand, increases the amount of serotonin in your blood. so when someone pops a prozac and the serotonin level goes up, he/she is basically placing a chemical wall between him/herself and love. according to nat geog, 'indigestion of drugs like prozac jeopardizes one's ability to fall in love - and stay in love'. the shrap edge just keep's getting duller. it also threatens a marriage as it takes the edge of love and the libido, making 'the relationship go stale'.

loose translation: anti-depressants are chemical love killers.

sure it all seems so dehumanised and love is placed under a microscope in a lab next to the ebola virus and the h5n1 strain of bird flu, but do you see what i mean when i say that there are possibilities? probably unethical possibilities, but they are there nontheless.

and this is just only love. can you imagine what can be done (or is already being done) to treat other 'disorders'? this makes the question of what is emotions and, in this case, what is love more critical and substantial. i have no choice but to give chemistry its due because to some extent we are slaves to our body but is that all emotions are about; properly sequenced chemical reactions leading to a right physical output? so if you win some competition and someone asks you why you are so happy, should your answer be 'i just came out tops in blah blah blah...' or should it be 'i'm doped up on dopamine in my mesolimbic pathway man!'

when i fall in love (or feel any other emotion) and experience all that signs and symptoms that results from chemical reactions in my brain and the rest of my body, is there anything in that? anything other than something you can reproduce in a lab with fancy named chemicals and a petri dish? maybe i'm just barking up a tree that really isnt a tree after all, or maybe i'm just splitting hairs but this sure got me thinking hard.