(no subject)

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Drawing on recent claims in the study of relationships, attachment, and emotion, the authors hypothesized that romantic love serves a commitment-related function and sexual desire a reproduction-related function.
...we define romantic love as a motivational state associated with feelings of attachment and the inclination to seek commitment with one partner, and we define sexual desire as a motivational state that leads the individual to seek opportunities for sexual activity.

Is there evidence that differentiates brief occurrences of romantic love from those of sexual desire? To our knowledge, the answer is no.

Romantic Love and Sexual Desire in Close Relationships. Gian C.Gonzaga, et al. Emotion. Vol 6. No. 2, 163–179.

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In Study 2, the expression of affiliation cues was
positively related to OT reactivity, a neuroendocrine response
thought to be associated with long-term commitment and monogamy.

[watertank.livejournal.com]

Recent imaging studies showing that romantic love may lead
to distinct patterns of brain activation lend further credence to the claim that romantic love and sexual desire are distinct processes
(Aron et al., 2004; Bartles & Zeki, 2000).