Concept Paper
Version 1
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
There is no “love molecule”. No evidence that phenylethylamine is directly involved in romantic love
Version 1
: Received: 2 July 2024 / Approved: 3 July 2024 / Online: 3 July 2024 (15:32:47 CEST)
How to cite: Conti, M. There is no “love molecule”. No evidence that phenylethylamine is directly involved in romantic love. Preprints 2024, 2024070336. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0336.v1 Conti, M. There is no “love molecule”. No evidence that phenylethylamine is directly involved in romantic love. Preprints 2024, 2024070336. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0336.v1
Abstract
A surge of b-phenylethylamine (PEA), an endogenous monoamine found in traces in the human brain and naturally present in chocolate, has been commonly associated with romantic love earning it the nickname of “love molecule”. The origin of this association must be traced to a speculation dating back to the early eighties that has over time become something of a factoid, reaching a large diffusion through the sharing phenomenon of the Internet. What is disputed in this paper is the existence of any direct biochemical or physiological evidence of the role of PEA in any of the phases of romantic love in the human species. The actual and possible roles of PEA in human physiology are reviewed.
Keywords
beta-phenylethylamine, PEA, Trace amine, Love, Aphrodisiac
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Neuroscience and Neurology
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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