In the fields of sociology, behavioral psychology, and evolutionary psychology, with specific reference to intimate relationships, romantic relationships, or friendships, interpersonal chemistry is a reaction between two people or the spontaneous reaction of two people to each other, especially a mutual sense of attraction or understanding.^[1] In a colloquial sense, it is often intuited that people can have either good chemistry or bad chemistry together. Good chemistry is thought to be associated with or the result of favorable human bondings and associations. Other related terms are team chemistry, a phrase often used in sports, and business chemistry, as between two companies.^[2] When job-hunting, the greatest credentials in the world are not enough, i.e. according to the research of career expert Debra Feldman, "personality and interpersonal chemistry, that essential feeling of trust, plays a critical role in hiring decisions."^[3] Social interactions and their consequences are the subject of sociology. ... Behaviorism (or behaviourism) is an approach to psychology based on the proposition that behavior is interesting and worthy of scientific research. ... Evolutionary psychology (abbreviated ev-psych or EP) is a theoretical approach to psychology that explains many mental traits as adaptations in the sense of evolutionary biological, as a product of natural or sexual selection. ... An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship with a great deal of physical and/or emotional intimacy. ... Romantic love is a form of love that is often regarded as different from simply sexual love, or lust. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The term human bond, or more generally human bonding, refers to the process or formation of a close personal relationship, as between a mother and child, especially through frequent or constant association. ...

A couple with "good" chemistry

Couple, as a noun, is close in meaning to pair, can refer to: two of any similar items; the publicly social bond between two people (most often heterosexual, but common use has also increasingly included homosexuals) in a sexual relationship: husband and wife; girlfriend and boyfriend; two girlfriends (ed. ... Chemistry (from Greek χημεία khemeia[1] meaning alchemy) is the science of matter at the atomic to molecular scale, dealing primarily with collections of atoms, such as molecules, crystals, and metals. ...

Overview

Throughout history, the idea of alchemy or chemistry between people, i.e. "interpersonal" chemistry, is usually made in reference to romance. Those in love, for example, are said to have found the perfect chemistry with another person. In recent years, however, analogies have branched off and developed in other fields such as business or consulting. In software consulting, project chemistry is a sought after quantity. Certain people are often selectively added to project teams to serve as a catalyst for the group. From the famous 1987 book Peopleware, by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister, for example, a person who functions as a "catalyst" in a project group is important because projects tend to always be in a state of flux; thus if someone has the skill-sets to energize a group, the project will be completed quicker and more efficiently. Catalysts, in chemistry, whether a person or a quantity of matter, tend to encourage or speed chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy barrier of the reaction. Someone who can help a project "jell" is worth two people who just do work.^[4] A related term introduced by DeMarco and Lister, is corporate entropy, in which they view energy waste as red tape and business team inefficiency as a form of entropy, i.e. energy lost to waste. This concept has caught on and is now common jargon in business schools. For other articles with similar names, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... Chemistry (from Greek χημεία khemeia[1] meaning alchemy) is the science of matter at the atomic to molecular scale, dealing primarily with collections of atoms, such as molecules, crystals, and metals. ... Look up romance in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Wall Street, Manhattan is the location of the New York Stock Exchange and is often used as a symbol for the world of business. ... Management consulting (sometimes also called strategy consulting) refers to both the practice of helping companies to improve performance through analysis of existing business problems and development of future plans, as well as to the firms that specialize in this sort of consulting. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Catalysis. ... Peopleware - Productive Projects and Teams is a popular 1987 book, written by software consultants Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister, on the inside world of software developing teams, in a manner such as to highlight the real-world conflicting natures between individual work perspective and corporate ideology. ... Tom DeMarco is a well-known author, teacher, and speaker on software engineering topics. ... A chemical reaction occurs when vapours of hydrogen chloride and ammonia meet to form a cloud of a new substance, ammonium chloride Chemical reaction is a process that results in the interconversion of chemical substances [1]. The substance or substances initially involved in a chemical reaction are called reactants. ... The sparks generated by striking steel against a flint provide the activation energy to initiate combustion in this Bunsen burner. ... The history of entropy, essentially, is the development of ideas set forth to theoretically understand why a certain amount of functionable energy released from combustion reactions is always lost to dissipation or friction, i. ... In thermodynamics, entropy, symbolized by S, is a state function of a thermodynamic system defined by the differential quantity , where dQ is the amount of heat absorbed in a reversible process in which the system goes from the one state to another, and T is the absolute temperature. ...

In regards to new business startups, according to business consultant Marguerite Moore Callaway, from her 2006 book The Energetics of Business, for example, "in business, as with any intimate relationship that is genuinely satisfying, great chemistry is vital. To have an affinity for an idea, a strong match must exist between a business owner's built-in aptitude, personality, learned skills and the underlying business purpose."^[5] To succeed in business, according to Callaway, one must fall in love with its potential. Wall Street, Manhattan is the location of the New York Stock Exchange and is often used as a symbol for the world of business. ... In thermodynamics and chemistry, chemical potential, symbolized by μ, is a term introduced in 1876 by the American mathematical physicist (Willard Gibbs and his partner Lauren Berkley), which he defined as follows: Gibbs noted also that for the purposes of this definition, any chemical element or combination of elements in given...

In Hollywood, casting directors are encouraged to find actors and actresses who have good screen couple chemistry. According Film professor Martha Nochimson, "star chemistry" is an energy issue in which the central dynamic in the movie evolves out of a spontaneous engagement that creates a free-standing energy vortex, in which audiences have room for a virtually infinite number of such experiences. The energy, or "wordless chemistry", of the onscreen couple, according to Nochimson, becomes at its most intense "a form of synergy between actors.”^[6] Historically, famous examples of couples with unmistakable on-screen chemistry include Maureen O'Sullivan/Johnny Weissmuller, Myrna Loy/William Powell, Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers, and Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy. ... Synergy or synergism (from the Greek synergos meaning working together, circa 1660) refers to the phenomenon in which two or more discrete influences or agents acting together create an effect greater than that predicted by knowing only the separate effects of the individual agents. ... Maureen OSullivan as Jane in Tarzan and His Mate Maureen O’Sullivan (17 May 1911 – 23 June 1998) was an Irish actress. ... Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan in Tarzan and His Mate. ... A publicity photo of Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American motion picture actress. ... William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. ... Balanchine[1] and Nureyev[2] rated him the greatest dancer of the 20th Century, and he is generally acknowledged to have been the most influential dancer in the history of filmed and televised musicals. ... Ginger Rogers on the cover of the April, 1938 issue of Modern Screen Magazine Beautiful Ginger Rogers (July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was a legendary Academy Award-winning American actress and dancer. ... Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an iconic four-time Academy Award-winning American star of film, television and stage, widely recognized for her sharp wit, New England gentility and fierce independence. ... Spencer Tracy (left) in 1960s Inherit the Wind with Fredric March. ...

History

Early historical references to alchemy or bonding between people were mostly analogies. In ancient Egypt, for example, Egyptologists have found fifty-five anonymous love poems, on papyri and vases, dating back to 1300 BC, which speak of psyches torn by uncertainty, hearts on fire, or how the "nets of love" can trap people.^[7] Similarly, in the 1022 poem The Ring of the Dove by Ibn-Hazm we find: For other articles with similar names, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... In telecommunication, the term bonding has the following meanings: In electrical engineering, the process of connecting together metal parts so that they make low resistance electrical contact for direct current and lower frequency alternating currents. ... Abu Muhammad Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Sa`id ibn Hazm (أبو محمد علي بن احمد بن سعيد بن حزم) (November 7, 994 – August 15, 1069) was an Andalusian Muslim philosopher and theologian of Persian descent [1] born in Córdoba, present day Spain. ...

The lover's soul is ever seeking for the other, striving after it, searching out, yearning to encounter it again, drawing it to itself it might be as a magnet draws the iron.

Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Iron filings in a magnetic field generated by a bar magnet A magnet is an object that has a magnetic field. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ...

Goethe's affinities (1809)

Main article: Elective Affinities

The first true application of the theories of chemistry, however, to the process of human life was that made by the famous German novelist, philosopher, and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in his 1809 publication of Elective Affinities, a scientific treatise on the chemical origin of love. In this penetrating study of life, marriage, and passion Goethe extends the chemical term ‘elective affinities’ through storyline to human relationships, both intimate and political. With respect to courting relationships and marriage, according to Goethe, with specific reference to new loves and divorce, people are brought together uncontrollably just as a chemist brings chemical substances together; where by definition: Elective Affinities (in German, Die Wahlverwandtschaften) is an 1809 novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. ... Chemistry (from Greek χημεία khemeia[1] meaning alchemy) is the science of matter at the atomic to molecular scale, dealing primarily with collections of atoms, such as molecules, crystals, and metals. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. ... Elective Affinities (in German, Die Wahlverwandtschaften) is an 1809 novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. ... Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse, which can be contrasted with an annulment, which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal support, child custody... A chemist pours from a Florence flask. ...

Goethe's 1809 classic novella Elective Affinities was the first-ever scientific treatise on the chemical origin of love.

We employ the term elective affinity, because it really does look as if one relationship was preferred to another and chosen instead of it.

According to a review of Elective Affinities by Oxford University Press, Goethe conducts an experiment with the lives of people who are living badly. Charlotte and Eduard, aristocrats with little to occupy them, invite Ottilie and the Captain into their lives; against morality, good sense, and conscious volition all four are drawn into relationships as inexorably as if they were substances in a chemical equation.^[8] Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Used in German wikipedia article Johann Wolfgang von Goethe This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Used in German wikipedia article Johann Wolfgang von Goethe This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. ... Elective Affinities (in German, Die Wahlverwandtschaften) is an 1809 novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. ... Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Chemical affinity results from electronic properties by which dissimilar substances are capable of forming chemical compounds. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ... The IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology defines chemical reaction equation as a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction where the reactant entities are given on the left hand side and the product entities on the right hand side. ...

Historically, elective affinity, or its modern synonym "chemical affinity", refers to the tendency for atoms, molecules, or chemical species to combine by chemical reaction. The name affinitas was first used in the sense of chemical relation by German philosopher Albertus Magnus in the year 1250. In this direction, various theories and postulates in regards to the underlying nature of chemical affinities have since intermittently been used to explain why and how chemical species react. Goethe, subsequently, by studying these works and others such as De attractionibus electivis by the Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman and by attending the weekly lectures of his lifelong friend the German chemist Johann Dobereiner, who served as a model for the Captain in the story, was able to present to the world a semi-biographical story in which passion, marriage, conflict, and free-will are all subject to the laws of chemistry and that in which the lives of human species are regulated no differently than are the lives of chemical species. Chemical affinity results from electronic properties by which dissimilar substances are capable of forming chemical compounds. ... Properties For other articles with similar names, see Atom (disambiguation). ... In chemistry, a molecule is an aggregate of at least two atoms in a definite arrangement held together by special forces. ... Chemical species is a common, general name for atoms, molecules, molecular fragments and ions as entities being subjected to a chemical process or to a measurement. ... A chemical reaction occurs when vapours of hydrogen chloride and ammonia meet to form a cloud of a new substance, ammonium chloride Chemical reaction is a process that results in the interconversion of chemical substances [1]. The substance or substances initially involved in a chemical reaction are called reactants. ... Albertus Magnus (1193? – November 15, 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, was a Dominican friar who became famous for his comprehensive knowledge and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. ... Torbern Olof Bergman (March 20, 1735 Katrineberg, Sweden, – July 8, 1784 Medevi, Sweden) was a Swedish chemist. ... Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner (December 13, 1780 – March 24, 1849) was a German chemist. ...

Through a, quite technical at times, metaphorical story line, Goethe speaks of the marriage tie and by analogy shows how strong marriage unions are similar in character to that by which the particles of quicksilver find a unity together though the process of chemical affinity. Goethe’s novella, in its time, was regarded as treatise on chemical origins of love. Humans in passionate relationships, according to Goethe, are analogous to reactive substances in a chemical equation. The word Quicksilver could represent: Quicksilver, another name for the chemical element mercury. ... Chemical affinity results from electronic properties by which dissimilar substances are capable of forming chemical compounds. ... The IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology defines chemical reaction equation as a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction where the reactant entities are given on the left hand side and the product entities on the right hand side. ...

Belgian chemist and Nobelist Ilya Prigogine refers to Goethe's affinities in his famous 1984 book Order Out Of Chaos.^[9] Similarly, in the 1995 textbook Supramolecular Chemistry, by French chemist and Nobelist Jean-Marie Lehn, one of the founders supramolecular chemistry, we find a Goethe-influenced anthropomorphic take on supramolecular chemistry referred to as a type of "molecular sociology":^[10] Ilya Prigogine (January 25, 1917 – May 28, 2003) was a Belgian physicist and chemist noted for his work on dissipative structures, complex systems, and irreversibility. ... Jean-Marie Lehn (born September 30, 1939) is a French chemist. ... Supramolecular chemistry refers to the area of chemistry which focuses on the noncovalent bonding interactions of molecules. ...

Non-covalent interactions define the inter-compound bond, the action and reaction, in brief, the behavior of the molecular individuals and populations: their social structure as an ensemble of individuals having its own organizations; their stability and their fragility; their tendency to associate or to isolate themselves; their selectivity, their elective affinities and class structure, their ability to recognize each other; their dynamics, fluidity or rigidity or arrangements and of castes, tensions, motions and reorientations; their mutual action and their transformations by each other.

Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Social structure is a term frequently used in social theory - yet rarely defined or clearly conceptualised (Jary and Jary 1991, Abercrombie et al 2000). ... The word stability has a number of technical meanings, all related to the common meaning of the word. ... Chemical affinity results from electronic properties by which dissimilar substances are capable of forming chemical compounds. ... ... The word dynamics can refer to: in physics, a branch of mechanics; see dynamics (mechanics). ... The word Caste is derived from the Portuguese word casta, meaning lineage, breed or race. ... Transformation may refer to: In molecular biology: In genetics transformation involves the genetic alteration of a cell resulting from the introduction, uptake and expression of foreign DNA. In cell division, the transformation process converts normal cells into cells that will continue to divide without limit. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ...

Stendhal's crystallization (1822)

Main article: crystallization (love)

In the 1822 classic On Love French writer Stendhal describes or compares the “birth of love”, in which the love object is crystallized in the mind in a manner similar to the chemical process of crystalization, and that this mental transformation is analogous to a trip to Rome. In the analogy, the city of Bologna represents indifference and Rome represents perfect love: Crystallization is a concept, developed in 1822 by the French writer Stendhal, which describes the process, or mental metamorphosis, in which unattractive characteristics of a new love are transformed into perceptual diamonds of shimmering beauty. ... Stendhal. ... sulfur sucks--207. ... Marble Crystallization or vitrification. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 8th century BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ...

Stendhal's depiction of "crystallization" in the process of falling in love

When we are in Bologna, according to Stendhal, we are entirely indifferent; we are not concerned to admire in any particular way the person with whom we shall perhaps one day be madly in love with; even less is our imagination inclined to overrate their worth. In a word, in Bologna “crystallization” has not yet begun. When the journey begins, love departs. One leaves Bologna, climbs the Apennines, and takes the road to Rome. The departure, according to Stendhal, has nothing to do with one’s will; it is an instinctive moment. This "transformative process" actuates in terms of four steps along a journey: Image File history File links Crystallization. ... Image File history File links Crystallization. ... This is about the terrestrial mountain range. ...

1. Admiration – one marvels at the qualities of the loved one.
2. Acknowledgement – one notices the return affection of the charming person.
3. Hope – one envisions gaining the love of the loved one.
4. Delight – one exults in overrating the beauty and merit of the person he or she loves.

First, one admires the other person. Second, one acknowledges the pleasantness in having acquired the interest of a charming person. Third, hope emerges. In the fourth stage, one delights in overrating the beauty and the merit of the person whose love one hopes to win. This pictured journey of this crystallization process (shown above) was detailed by Stendhal on the back of a playing card, while speaking to Madame Gherardi, during his trip to Salzburg salt mine.

Early 20th century views

In Peter Clark's 1927 The Power and Science of Love, he speaks of "affinities" between people, and states that love is a power of attraction. According to Clark, the degree of love between a man and a women, which goes deeper than passion and is not based upon purely physical mating, is "the attraction of the common bond at which both are vibrating".^[11] Everyday activities, from Clark's perspective, are but sense appearances in themselves or "reactions to forces not perceptible to sense." Clark states, that we do not see force causes, but rather see only reaction processes and effects. The Passion is the technical term for the suffering and Agony of Jesus that led directly to the Crucifixion, a central Christian event. ... A reaction is the following: In physics, a reaction (physics) is defined by Newtons third law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The idea that any given force has a pair or opposite force. ...

In the early part of the 20th century, psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung worked to apply the concepts and laws in chemistry and thermodynamics, such as entropy and the laws of thermodynamics, to human life. One result of these efforts was the development of psychodynamics, i.e. mental psychology from a thermodynamic point of view. Later, in 1944, Jung published his influential book Psychology and Alchemy, which is a study of the analogies between alchemy, Christian dogma, and psychological symbolism. Although criticized for his interest in this area, many agree that the central question for Jung was what the subject of alchemy revealed about the mind, especially at the level of the mind that Jung called the collective unconscious.^[12] Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939; (IPA pronunciation: []) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology. ... Carl Jungs autobiographical work Memories , Dreams, Reflections, Fontana edition Carl Gustav Jung (July 26, 1875, Kesswil, – June 6, 1961, Küsnacht) (IPA: ) was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology. ... Chemistry (from Greek χημεία khemeia[1] meaning alchemy) is the science of matter at the atomic to molecular scale, dealing primarily with collections of atoms, such as molecules, crystals, and metals. ... Thermodynamics (from the Greek thermos meaning heat and dynamics meaning power) is a branch of physics that studies the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and volume on physical systems at the macroscopic scale by analyzing the collective motion of their particles using statistics. ... In thermodynamics, entropy, symbolized by S, is a state function of a thermodynamic system defined by the differential quantity , where dQ is the amount of heat absorbed in a reversible process in which the system goes from the one state to another, and T is the absolute temperature. ... The laws of thermodynamics, in principle, describe the specifics for the transport of heat and work in thermodynamic processes. ... In psychology, psychodynamics is the study of the interrelationship of various parts of the mind, personality, or psyche as they relate to mental, emotional, or motivational forces especially at the subconscious level. ... For other articles with similar names, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... Collective unconscious is a term of analytical psychology originally coined by Carl Jung. ...

Various writers, from time to time, have used Jung's alchemical views as a basis for further exposition. In Nathan Schwartz-Salant's 1998 The Mystery of Human Relationship - Alchemy and the Transformation of the Self, for example, insights from Jung's writings as well as those found in the ancient art of alchemy are used to explain how a transformative process can be set in motion between two people once partners in a relationship learn how to enter "the interactive field that lies between them."^[13]

Recent views

With the development the new field of neurochemistry in the 1950s, scientists began to look into the neurological basis of interpersonal chemistry. One of the first technical books in this field was neurochemist Herbert Meltzer's 1979 The Chemistry of Human Behavior, which describes in relatively simple statements what was currently known about "brain chemistry" during these early years. The relatively new field of neurochemistry, for example, had only recently come into existence in the 1950s. Meltzer discusses such topics as transient behavior changes produced by ingested substances, chemical imprinting, for example mallard ducklings "chemically imprint" to a mother-like figure during the 5th to 24th hour after hatching, and the chemical aspects of abnormal behavior in humans.^[14] Neurochemistry is a branch of neuroscience that is heavily devoted to the study of neurochemicals. ... Neurochemistry is a branch of neuroscience that is heavily devoted to the study of neurochemicals. ...

Time's famous 1993 cover-story article "The Chemistry of Love"

In the last fifty or so years, developments in neurochemistry and immunology have begun to shed light on the chemical nature of love. Some of the more famous studies and publications are psychologist Michael Liebowitz’s 1983 book The Chemistry of Love, Time magazine’s famous 1993 cover-story article “The Chemistry of Love”, and Claus Wedekind’s 1995 study “MHC-dependent Mate Preferences in Humans”, i.e. the smelly T-shirt study, where he showed that women are most attracted the smell of men with a more dissimilar major histocompatibility complex, which during reproduction leads to offspring with healthier immune systems.^[15] Two distinct views exist on the meaning of time. ... Neurochemistry is a branch of neuroscience that is heavily devoted to the study of neurochemicals. ... Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. ... Love is a profound feeling of tender affection for or intense attraction to another. ... Dr. Michael R. Liebowitz is a Columbia University psychiatrist and founder of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic, the first of its kind, at the New York Psychiatric Institute. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... MHC I (1hsa) vs MHC II (1dlh) (more details. ...

Over the last decade, one of the dominant researches in this field has been anthropologist Helen Fisher, author of the recent 2004 book Why We Love – the Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love.^[16] Fisher distinguishes between four personality types each of which she associates with a body chemical: Helen Fisher is an anthropology professor and human behavior researcher at the Rutgers University. ... Personality psychology is a branch of psychology which studies personality and individual different processes - that which makes us into a person. ...

• explorer - dopamine
• negotiator - estrogen
• director - testosterone
• builder - serotonin.

In 2006, her MRI research, which showed that the ventral tegmental area and the caudate nucleus become active when people are madly in love, was featured in the (February) National Geographic cover-page article: "Love - the Chemical Reaction". This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Estriol. ... Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. ... Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter synthesized in serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system and enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract. ... The ventral tegmentum or the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is part of the midbrain, lying close to the substantia nigra and the red nucleus. ... Grays Fig. ... The National Geographic Society was founded in the USA on January 27, 1888, by 33 men interested in organizing a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge. ...

Similarly, in a recent 2006 article entitled "Interpersonal chemistry through negativity: Bonding by sharing negative attitudes about others", a group of researchers led by Jennifer Bosson conducted three studies in which they found that sharing a negative attitude, as compared to a positive attitude, about a third party is particularly effective in promoting closeness between people. Specifically, they found that discovering a shared negative attitude about a target person predicted liking for a stranger more strongly than discovering a shared positive attitude (but only when attitudes were weak). Presumably, sharing negative attitudes is alluring because it establishes in-group/out-group boundaries, boosts self-esteem, and conveys highly diagnostic information about attitude holders.^[17] They also found that people tend to recall sharing more negative than positive thoughts with their closest friends about other people.

Definitions

The use and application of chemical terminology to the areas of human life, e.g. “a restless chemistry possessed the group” (John Updike), work life, e.g. “an astonishing chemistry between the actors”, and love life, e.g. “the chemistry between us was immediate”, was said to have begun in the late 16th century, in the alchemical sense, in terms of there being a perceived chemical affinity between people. A common early phrase, for example, was “a mysterious alchemy brought them together.” Other recent definitions are: A chemical substance is any material substance used in or obtained by a process in chemistry: A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more chemical elements that are chemically combined in fixed proportions. ... John Updike John Hoyer Updike (born March 18, 1932) is an American writer born in Shillington, Pennsylvania, where he lived until he was 13. ... The Alchemist. ... Chemical affinity results from electronic properties by which dissimilar substances are capable of forming chemical compounds. ...

• Interpersonal chemistry – the way two individuals relate to each other.^[18]
• Chemistry – the interaction of one personality with another or sympathetic understanding.^[19]
• Chemistry – a strong mutual attraction, attachment, or sympathy.^[20]
• Chemistry – the elements of a complex entity and their dynamic interrelation; mutual attraction or sympathy.^[21]
• Chemistry – any complex, especially emotional, change or process; a person’s personality or temperament.^[22]
• Chemistry – instinctual attraction or affinity (from the alchemical sense).^[23]
• Chemistry – an instinctual, apparently unanalysable, attraction or affinity between people or groups of people; the combination of personal characteristics that create this.^[24]

Human bonding

Main article: Human bonding

People, throughout history, have often considered phenomena such as “love at first sight” or “instant friendships” to be the result of an uncontrollable force of attraction or affinity. One of the first to theorize in this direction was the Greek philosopher Empedocles who in the fourth century BC argued for existence of two forces: love (philia) and strife (neikos), which were used to account for the causes of motion in the universe. These two forces were said to intermingle with the four elements, i.e. earth, water, air, and fire, in such a manner that love, so to say, served as the binding power linking the various parts of existence harmoniously together. The term human bond, or more generally human bonding, refers to the process or formation of a close personal relationship, as between a mother and child, especially through frequent or constant association. ... In physics, force is that which changes or tends to change the state of rest or motion of a body. ... Empedocles of Agrigentum Empedocles (Greek: Εμπεδοκλής, circa 490 BCE – c. ... Several ancient Classical Element ideas exist. ...

Later, Plato interpreted Empedocles’ two agents as attraction and repulsion, stating that their operation is conceived in an alternate sequence.^[25] From these arguments, Plato originated the concept of “likes attract”, e.g. earth is thus attracted towards earth, water toward water, and fire toward fire. In modern terms this is often phrased in terms of “birds of a feather flock together”. Later, following developments in electrical theories, such as Coulomb's law, which showed that positive and negative charges attract, analogs in human life were developed such as "opposites attract". Over the last century, researcher on the nature of human mating, such as in evolutionary psychology, agree that pairs unite or attract to each other owing to a combination of opposites attract, e.g. people with dissimilar immune systems tend to attract, and likes attract, such similarities of personality, character, views, etc.^[26] In recent years, various human bonding theories have been developed described in terms of attachments, ties, bonds, and or affinities. For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... In physics, Coulombs law is an inverse-square law indicating the magnitude and direction of electrostatic force that one stationary, electrically charged object of small dimensions (ideally, a point source) exerts on another. ... Evolutionary psychology (abbreviated ev-psych or EP) is a theoretical approach to psychology that explains many mental traits as adaptations in the sense of evolutionary biological, as a product of natural or sexual selection. ...

Neurochemistry

Main article: Love (scientific views)

Recent magnetic resonance imaging studies have begun to shed light on the neurochemical basis of human bonding.^[27]

Main bonding chemicals^[28][29] Throughout history, predominately, philosophy and religion have speculated the most into the phenomena of love. ... Made from an fMRI scan I had done. ... Made from an fMRI scan I had done. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

• Oxytocin [C₄₃H₆₆N₁₂O₁₂S₂] – bonding molecule (hormone): high levels correlate with strong pair-bonding.

sometimes called the ‘cuddle chemical’.

levels rise during kissing and foreplay, and peak during orgasm.

• Vasopressin – monogamy molecule (hormone)

responsible for creating intense loving memories during passionate situations.

responsible for clarity of thought and alertness during passionate situations.

• Endorphin - calming natural pain killer

levels increase in response to touch, pleasing visual stimulus (as a smile), or after having positive thoughts.

thought to be the main attachment chemical in longterm relationships.^[7]

Related bonding chemicals^[28][29] Oxytocin should not be confused with oxycodone hydrochloride whose trade name is OxyContin. ... Arginine vasopressin (AVP), also known as argipressin or antidiuretic hormone (ADH), is a human hormone that is mainly released when the body is low on water; it causes the kidneys to conserve water by concentrating the urine and reducing urine volume. ... Endorphins are endogenous opioid biochemical compounds. ...

• PEA [C₈H₁₁N] – amphetamine molecule (neurotransmitter)

speeds up the flow of information between nerve cells.^[7]

keeps one alert, confident, and ready to try something new.^[7]

• Dopamine [C₈H₁₁NO₂] – desire molecule (neurotransmitter): levels increase as passion levels increase.

elavated levels are associated with romantic love.^[30]

• Serotonin [C₁₀H₁₂N₂O] – stability molecule (neurotransmitter)
• DHEA [C₁₉H₂₈O₂] – most abundant hormone

increases sex drive and influences who one finds attractive.

levels increase to three to five times that of baseline before and during orgasm.

• Prolactin – motherly hormone (stops female and male sex-drive)
• Testosterone [C₁₉H₂₈O₂] – masculinization hormone (high testosterone-laden males tend to bond with high estrogen-laden females)

levels drop in men who are involved in long-term monogamous relationships.

functions as the main sex drive hormone for both men and women.^[30]

• Estrogen – feminization hormone (high estrogen-laden females tend to bond with high testosterone-laden males)
• Androsterone [C₁₉H₃₀O₂] – a pheromone attractor
• Squalene [C₃₀H₅0] – a pheromone repellant (stops male courtship behavior in snakes)
• Progesterone [C₂₁H₃₀O₂] – reverse sex-drive hormone
• Norepinephrine [C₈H₁₁NO₃] - elevated levels are associated with romantic love.^[30]

Related facts^[31][29] Phenethylamine is an alkaloid and monoamine. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter synthesized in serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system and enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract. ... Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a natural steroid hormone produced from cholesterol by the adrenal glands. ... Prolactin is a peptide hormone synthesised and secreted by lactotrope cells in the adenohypophysis (anterior pituitary gland). ... Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. ... Estriol. ... Androsterone(ADT) is a steroid hormone with weak androgenic activity. ... Squalene is a natural organic compound originally obtained for commercial purposes primarily from shark liver oil, though there are botanical sources as well, including rice bran, wheat germ, and olives. ... Progesterone is a C-21 steroid hormone involved in the female menstrual cycle, pregnancy (supports gestation) and embryogenesis of humans and other species. ... Norepinephrine (INN) or noradrenaline (BAN) is a catecholamine and a phenethylamine with chemical formula C8H11NO3. ...

• The ventral tegmental area and the caudate nucleus become more active when madly in love.
• When looking at a lover’s photo the anterior cingulated cortex and the basal ganglia become more active.
• When looking at a lover’s photo the posterior cingulated gyrus and the right pre-frontal cortex become less active.
• During the first six months of love, serotonin levels drop to 40 percent below those in normal subjects.
• Women are vomeronasally-attracted to men with dissimilar major histocompatibilty complexes.

The ventral tegmentum or the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is part of the midbrain, lying close to the substantia nigra and the red nucleus. ... Grays Fig. ... The cingulate cortex is part of the brain and situated roughly in the middle of the cortex. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Cingulate gyrus is a gyrus in the medial part of the brain. ... The prefrontal cortex is the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain, lying in front of the motor and premotor areas. ... MHC I (1hsa) vs MHC II (1dlh) (more details. ...

Pop culture

In popular culture, especially in recent movies, books, and in folklore, various love potions, e.g. most famously love potion #9, aphrodisiacs, or elixirs have purported to in some way alter a person’s chemistry to enhance the process of falling in love. In the 1992 film love potion #9 (named after the famous 1959 song by The Clovers) starring Sandra Bullock, for example, a semi-scientific explanation as to how love potion #9 "works" is explained: A potion (from Latin potio, potionis, meaning beverage, potion, poison) is a drinkable medicine or poison. ... Love potion can refer to many things: A love potion that is said to have the power to cause its imbiber to fall in love with the person who gave it to them. ... An aphrodisiac is an agent which acts on the mind and causes the arousal of the mood of sexual desire. ... Look up elixir in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Love potion can refer to many things: A love potion that is said to have the power to cause its imbiber to fall in love with the person who gave it to them. ... The Clovers are an American doo wop group. ... Sandra Annette Bullock (born July 26, 1964) is an American film actress. ...

The 1992 movie Love potion #9, a humorous story in which a “chemical” potion is said to enhance the process of falling in love

When swallowed it affects the vocal cords directly so that when you speak microtremors encoded within your voice stimulate tiny little hairs in the inner ear of the opposite sex. The hair vibrates, sending a signal along a nerve to the brain, which in turn produces a combination of mood-altering, endogenous chemicals responsible for the biochemical process of feeling in love. It makes members of the same sex hostile. It only works for four hours at a time.

Historically, there have been many movies along these lines, such as Monkey Business (1952), a classic comedy about a chemist who discovers a formula for eternal youth. In the movie, Cary Grant plays Dr. Barnaby Fulton, an absent-minded professor type who is trying to develop an elixir of youth, urged on by his commercially minded boss (Coburn). One of his chimpanzees gets loose in the laboratory and pours some chemicals into the water cooler — chemicals that just happen to have the rejuvenating effect for which Fulton is searching. The film is reminiscent of Bringing Up Baby (1938), which also starred Cary Grant and was directed by Howard Hawks, but had a leopard instead of a chimpanzee. The denouement, involving a chemical that causes a board of directors to act like schoolchildren, is shared by 1961's Lover Come Back, a Doris Day–Rock Hudson vehicle, although in that film the chemical — in pill form — simply causes everybody to get extremely drunk. Image File history File links Love_Potion_No. ... Image File history File links Love_Potion_No. ... Love potion can refer to many things: A love potion that is said to have the power to cause its imbiber to fall in love with the person who gave it to them. ... Romantic love is a form of love that is often regarded as different from simply sexual love, or lust. ... Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Laryngoscopic view of the vocal folds. ... The inner ear comprises both: the organ of hearing (the cochlea) and the labyrinth or vestibular apparatus, the organ of balance located in the inner ear that consists of three semicircular canals and the vestibule. ... The word gender describes the state of being male, female, or neither. ... In animals, the brain, or encephalon (Greek for in the head), is the control center of the central nervous system. ... A chemical substance is any material substance used in or obtained by a process in chemistry: A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more chemical elements that are chemically combined in fixed proportions. ... Biochemistry is the chemistry of life. ... Love is a profound feeling of tender affection for or intense attraction to another. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ... Monkey Business is a screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe, Hugh Marlowe, and Charles Coburn. ... The absent-minded professor is a stock character of popular fiction usually portrayed as an academic with important information, but whose focus on their learning leads them to ignore their surroundings. ... Rejuvenation is the procedure of reversing the aging process, thus regaining youth. ... Type Species Simia troglodytes Blumenbach, 1775 Species Pan troglodytes Pan paniscus Chimpanzee, often shortened to chimp, is the common name for the two extant species in the genus Pan. ... Look up water cooler in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Bringing up Baby is a 1938 screwball comedy which tells the story of a scientist who winds up in various predicaments with a woman who has a unique sense of logic and a leopard named Baby. ... See also: 1937 in film 1937 1939 in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of Dorothy in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. ... Binomial name Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758) Synonyms Felis pardus Linnaeus, 1758 The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the four big cats of the genus Panthera. ... Denouement, in literature, is the end part of a story after the climax. ... See also: 1960 in film 1961 1962 in film 1960s in film years in film film Events Last Year at Marienbad (Lannée dernière à Marienbad) released Top grossing films North America The Guns of Navarone Exodus The Parent Trap The Absent-Minded Professor The Alamo Swiss Family Robinson... Lover Come Back is a 1961 romantic comedy released by Universal Pictures. ... Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff, known as Doris Day (born April 3, 1924), is an American singer, actress, and animal welfare advocate. ... Rock Hudson (November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was a popular American film and television actor, noted for his good looks, and most remembered as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s. ... Common disk-shaped tablets A pharmacological tablet is a medicinal or other active substance mixed with binder powders and pressed into a tablet form. ...

Another related movie is The Nutty Professor (1963), a chemical potion is made to get people to fall instantaneously in love with the person who drinks it; the effects, however, are humorously short lived. In the movie, Julius Kelp (Jerry Lewis), is an unkempt, buck-toothed, introverted, socially inept college professor who invents a serum that turns him into the extremely smooth, obnoxious, girl-chasing hipster Buddy Love. This newfound persona gives him the confidence to pursue one of his students, Stella Purdy (Stella Stevens). At first she despises Love, but she finds herself strangely attracted to him. The formula, however, wears off at inopportune times, often to Kelp's embarassment. He must rush back to his laboratory in the hopes that no one will discover his secret. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch on March 16, 1926), is an American comedian, actor, film producer, writer and director known for his slapstick humor and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. ... Stella Stevens ( born October 1, 1936 ) is an actress. ...

Related movies

• Shallow Hal (2001), a movie about the psychological aspects of physical attractiveness, in which beautiful women are described as simply being "well-formed molecules".
• Laws of attraction (2004), a movie about how the "laws of attraction" effect the love lives of two divorce attorneys.

Shallow Hal is a 2001 romantic comedy film starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Rosemary Shanahan, Jack Black as Hal Larsen and Jason Alexander as Mauricio. ... It has been suggested that Sexual attraction be merged into this article or section. ... A nymph with morning glory flowers by Lefebvre. ... In chemistry, a molecule is an aggregate of at least two atoms in a definite arrangement held together by special forces. ... Laws of Attraction is a 2004 American/German comedy/romance film directed by Peter Howitt and based on a story by Aline Brosh McKenna and screenplay by Robert Harling and McKenna. ...

Related music

• All About Chemistry, a 2001 album by Semisonic.

All About Chemistry is an album by Semisonic. ... Semisonic is an alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Band members are Dan Wilson (guitar/vocals), John Munson (bass), and Jacob Slichter (drums). ...

See also

• Love (scientific views)
• Love
• Interpersonal ties
• Beauty
• Physical attractiveness

Throughout history, predominately, philosophy and religion have speculated the most into the phenomena of love. ... Love is a profound feeling of tender affection for or intense attraction to another. ... In mathematical sociology, interpersonal ties are defined as information-carrying connections between people. ... A nymph with morning glory flowers by Lefebvre. ... It has been suggested that Sexual attraction be merged into this article or section. ...

References

Grays Fig. ... The septum pellucidum, also called the septum lucidum, is a thin, triangular, vertical membrane that separates the lateral ventricles of the brain. ... The ventral tegmentum or the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is part of the midbrain, lying close to the substantia nigra and the red nucleus. ... Grays Fig. ... Grays FIG. 727– Medial surface of left cerebral hemisphere. ... The insular cortex (also often referred to as just the insula) is a structure of the human brain. ...

Further reading

Non-fiction

1. Crenshaw, Theresa, L. (1997). The Alchemy of Love and Lust - Discovering our Sex Hormones and how they Determine who we Love, when we Love, and How Often we Love. G.P. Putman’s Sons. ISBN 0-399-14041-7.
2. Fishman, Barbara, Ashner, Laurie (1994). Resonance - the New Chemistry of Love. Harper San Francisco. ISBN 0062507192.
3. Walsh, Anthony (1991). The Science of Love - Understanding Love and its Effects on Mind and body. Prometheus Books. ISBN 0879756489.

Fiction

1. DeSimone, Lewis (2006). Chemistry - A Novel. Harrington Park Press. ISBN 1560235594.
2. Millington, Mil (2003). A Certain Chemistry - A Novel. Villard. ISBN 0812966678.
3. Wilkins, Damien (2002). Chemistry. Granta Books. ISBN 1862075492.

External links

• Why do people use the word ‘chemistry’ when describing relationships – MadSci Network
• Wedekind, Claus and Penn, Dustin. (2000). MHC genes, body odours, and odour preferences - Nephrol Dial Transplant (2000) 15: 1269-1271
• Is Love a Chemical Reaction? - Institute of Human Thermodynamics
• Do People Need Chemistry for a Relationship to Work? - Institute of Human Thermodynamics
• It's all about Interpersonal Chemistry - Times Online, Feb. 10, 2005