Hormones or destiny: a fascinating lecture on chemistry of love was held at the Wedding Festival

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A lecture "Pure Chemistry: how hormones determine who we fall in love with" was held at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of the II All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting hearts." The event combined science and practice, thus suggesting listeners to take a look at love and relationships through the lens of biology, psychology and neurophysiology. Vyacheslav Dubynin, Doctor of Biological Sciences, neuroscientist, Professor at Lomonosov Moscow State University, and Head of  'Academy of Business Communications", discussed this topic with the audience.

In a live dialogue format, the speaker revealed the mechanisms that control our feelings, explained how hormones influence our choice of a partner and development of emotional attachment to them, and even how they work on long-term relationships. The audience of the event was diverse: from newlyweds who just got married at the Wedding Festival, to couples with experience who wanted to refresh their knowledge, as well as public figures and students studying biology and family psychology.

"Today I was talking about love, affection and relationships as a person who deals with the brain and molecules. Some of these molecules cause our desire to have a relationship with someone, and some others bring  the desire to make these relationships reliable, permanent, so they are bringing positive emotions. And I am very pleased that I gave a lecture at the Wedding Festival. Newlyweds who are just starting life together, undoubtedly, think that they know everything about each other, but in fact, they will discover whole worlds and planets after a while. I would like to wish them to take care of each other, to spend time together, to make gifts, to have a lot of hugs, kisses, joint trips, joint creativity and, of course, joint children," Vyacheslav Dubynin wished the lovers.

The lecturer analyzed the key aspects of the "chemistry of love" — from the role of dopamine and oxytocin to the influence of pheromones and genetic compatibility. The audience could take a fresh look at wide-spread myths, like the one about existence of a "soulmate", or "love at first sight", and get familiar with such complex scientific concepts as "imprinting", using the example of Russian classical literature. The expert drew special attention to the fact that love is not only feelings, but also a complex biochemical process that can be both studied and adjusted throughout our lives.

"The most important lesson that we can take from our knowledge of brain and body physiology is that love and relationships require constant work. They are not just something instantaneous, some kind of emotion. They are a tree that needs to be watered, grown, cared for and cherished. And if, for example, you stay apart for a long time, then this, of course, is not good. It is very important to pay attention to each other, to make gifts. Even in nature, for example, when a male takes care of a female, he feeds her, and thus she understands that he will be a caring father," Vyacheslav Dubynin noted.

Touching upon the topic of depth and duration of a couple's relationship, the lecturer presented a scientific version of the origin of a famous saying "husband and wife are one Satan." 

"There are special neural networks in our brain that repeat the emotions and behavior of another person, if this person is a close, loved one. And when we've been together for a long time, even our vocabulary and motions can be similar. That is, a person enters our world at all levels: emotions, thinking, memory," the expert noted, and also added: "In many ways, this makes us richer, because our inclusion in another person's worldview is also self-development for us. Selfishness and self-obsession go away, and you realize that when you're together, you can do more." 

Concluding the meeting, Vyacheslav Dubynin noted that in order to create strong large families, there must be not only external, but also internal motivation.

"Every child is another step in your personal growth. Maybe you don't realize it when the child is still young, but when he grows up, there is a special sense of pride in what you do. You have let into this world another amazing universe that has separated from you. Isn't that wonderful? So, a family with no children is like the beginning of the path," the expert concluded.

The II All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts" opened in the space of the National Centre RUSSIA on July 8, the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity. It continued a tradition of the First All-Russian Wedding Festival, which was held in 2024 at the International RUSSIA EXPO. More than 200 couples from different regions of the country officially registered their marriage at the venue of the second festival. An eventful three-day cultural and educational program also awaited the guests and participants of the event: festive processions of the newlyweds, thematic lectures and public talks, master classes, gastronomic performances, concerts of stars and much more.