Love: An Important Dimension in Marital Research and Therapy

Riehl-Emde, Astrid; Thomas, Volker; Willi, Jürg

doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.2003.42205.x

Cited by 30 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…It is also interesting to note that many of the circuits affected by meditation are also implicated in social processes including empathy [101, 102]. Recruitment of these processes may enhance well-being indirectly by facilitating high-quality social interactions [103, 104]. They may also enhance caregiving and related behaviors, which play a critical role in attachment relationships where one individual is highly dependent on the other, such as parent–infant relationships and those where one spouse may be ill and in need of care [105, 106].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging

Acevedo

Pospos²,

Lavretsky³

2016

Curr Behav Neurosci Rep

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ObjectivesMeditation has been shown to have physical, cognitive, and psychological health benefits that can be used to promote healthy aging. However, the common and specific mechanisms of response remain elusive due to the diverse nature of mind–body practices.MethodsIn this review, we aim to compare the neural circuits implicated in focused-attention meditative practices that focus on present-moment awareness to those involved in active-type meditative practices (e.g., yoga) that combine movement, including chanting, with breath practices and meditation.Recent FindingsRecent meta-analyses and individual studies demonstrated common brain effects for attention-based meditative practices and active-based meditations in areas involved in reward processing and learning, attention and memory, awareness and sensory integration, and self-referential processing and emotional control, while deactivation was seen in the amygdala, an area implicated in emotion processing. Unique effects for mindfulness practices were found in brain regions involved in body awareness, attention, and the integration of emotion and sensory processing. Effects specific to active-based meditations appeared in brain areas involved in self-control, social cognition, language, speech, tactile stimulation, sensorimotor integration, and motor function.SummaryThis review suggests that mind–body practices can target different brain systems that are involved in the regulation of attention, emotional control, mood, and executive cognition that can be used to treat or prevent mood and cognitive disorders of aging, such as depression and caregiver stress, or serve as “brain fitness” exercise. Benefits may include improving brain functional connectivity in brain systems that generally degenerate with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other aging-related diseases.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging

Acevedo

Pospos²,

Lavretsky³

2016

Curr Behav Neurosci Rep

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“…Riehl-Emde et al, 2003], and is often a prerequisite for entering into marriage [e.g. Simpson et al, 1986].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reward and motivation systems: A brain mapping study of early‐stage intense romantic love in Chinese participants

Aron

Brown

et al. 2011

Human Brain Mapping

243

154

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Early-stage romantic love has been studied previously in the United States and United Kingdom (Aron et al. [2005]: J Neurophysiol 94:327–337; Bartels and Zeki [2000]: Neuroreport 11:3829–3834; Ortigue et al. [2007]: J Cogn Neurosci 19:1218–1230), revealing activation in the reward and motivation systems of the brain. In this study, we asked what systems are activated for early-stage romantic love in Easterners, specifically Chinese participants? Are these activations affected by individual differences within a cultural context of Traditionality and Modernity? Also, are these brain activations correlated with later satisfaction in the relationship? In Beijing, we used the same procedure used by Aron et al. (Aron et al. [2005]: J Neurophysiol 94:327–337). The stimuli for 18 Chinese participants were a picture of the face of their beloved, the face of a familiar acquaintance, and a countback task. We found significant activations specific to the beloved in the reward and motivation systems, particularly, the ventral tegmental area and the caudate. The mid-orbitofrontal cortex and cerebellum were also activated, whereas amygdala, medial orbitofrontal, and medial accumbens activity were decreased relative to the familiar acquaintance. Self-reported Traditionality and Modernity scores were each positively correlated with activity in the nucleus accumbens, although in different regions and sides of the brain. Activity in the subgenual area and the superior frontal gyrus was associated with higher relationship happiness at 18-month follow-up. Our results show that midbrain dopamine-rich reward/motivation systems were activated by early-stage romantic love in Chinese participants, as found by other studies. Neural activity was associated with Traditionality and Modernity attitudes as well as with later relationship happiness for Chinese participants.

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“…This involves behavioral, emotional, and cognitive components (Sternberg, 1986; Hazan and Shaver, 1987). Romantic love is highly correlated with relationship intimacy satisfaction, relationship quality and stability (Riehl-Emde et al, 2003; Acevedo and Aron, 2009), and is even a precondition for marriage (Simpson et al, 1986). Within a wider context, the ability to form meaningful and enduring relationships is an important social skill.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Romantic Love Is Associated with Enhanced Inhibitory Control in an Emotional Stop-Signal Task

et al. 2016

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Purpose: This study explored whether romantic lovers differ in emotion-related inhibitory control capacity from those who are single.Methods: 88 healthy undergraduate college students participated in the study. Half were currently in love and in a romantic relationship (love group, LG), and half were single and had never been in a romantic relationship (single group, SG). Based on duration of romantic relationship (i.e., love duration), the LG were further divided into two subgroups: “early stage love” and “longer periods of love”. All participants completed an emotional Stop Signal Task, consisting of a variety of human face stimuli displaying either sad or neutral affect.Results: Results found that relative to SG, lovers showed greater inhibitory control [shorter stop-signal reaction time (SSRT)] during negative emotion condition trials. Furthermore, in early stages of love, SSRT for negative emotion condition trials was significantly shorter compared to that in “longer periods of love” or SG individuals, with no significant differences between the two latter groups.Conclusion: Compared with individuals who were single, early stage lovers showed greater capacity for inhibiting action during presentation of negative emotional stimuli. Within a greater social context, greater inhibitory control capacity during early stages of love may be related to the successful formation of romantic relationships, particularly to the ability to persevere in goal-directed action despite negative emotional contexts such as that of sadness.

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Love: An Important Dimension in Marital Research and Therapy

Cited by 30 publications

References 16 publications

The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging

The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging

Reward and motivation systems: A brain mapping study of early‐stage intense romantic love in Chinese participants

Romantic Love Is Associated with Enhanced Inhibitory Control in an Emotional Stop-Signal Task

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