Hormones or destiny: a fascinating lecture on chemistry of love was held at the Wedding Festival
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.
On July 10, the II All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts" finished its work at the National Centre RUSSIA.
The open dialogue "Values of the Future" was held at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of the II All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts".
The main topic of the meeting was books about love, family and fidelity, about useful practices for the development of harmonious relationships.