Philosophers have mused over them, poets have written about them and musicians have sung about them. Love, desire and passion will at some point touch everyone's life - yet they are little understood and some of the oldest mysteries of mankind. Why do people fall in love and what is love anyway? What makes people attractive? How do these emotions tie in with our physiology and how we have evolved?Lust and Love: Is it more than Chemistry? provides answers to some of these questions through the eyes of science. It takes a light hearted and entertaining approach in explaining the current scientific knowledge of why people are attracted to each other, from the first moments of meeting to how emotions change in a long lasting partnership. The book covers research from the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, neurology, psychiatry, psychology, physics and medicine while using the love story of a fictional couple to take the reader on a journey through science. Additional topics on the 'tools of attraction' including the history of the lipstick, the development of perfumes and aphrodisiacs provide an absorbing insight into the subject. Medical treatments and conditions including contraception, erectile dysfunction and the climacteric phenomenon are also discussed. This engaging and unusual book is ideal for anyone interested in the science behind love, desire and passion. TOC:Mysteries of the emotional rollercoaster.- Two networks of nerves.- Signals of love.- Tied up with a double helix.- Hormones: the body's snailmail.- Estrogen and testosterone: driving our emotional lives.- Oxytocin: the "amuse-guele" among hormones.- Dopamine: Casanova's doubled-edged "secret weapon".- Serotonin: the happy messenger in the blood.- Phenylethylamine: the stuff that makes the soul jubilate.- The chemistry of birth control.- Menopause: when the hormone supply falters.- Endogenous opiates: the chemistry of euphoria.- Chemistry for the eye of the beholder: lipsticks through the ages.- Secret scents of seduction.- Pheromones: words in the dialogue of fragrances.- The ABC of aphrodisiacs.- Viagra and Co.
