What if science fiction turned into reality? Love potions—substances designed to spark romantic attachment—could emerge within 20 years, predicts Dr. Anders Sandberg, a leading neuroscientist at the University of Oxford, UK. In an interview with Broadly, he notes that human pair-bonding evolved because our infants are helpless at birth, unlike independent foals. Falling in love floods the brain with oxytocin and vasopressin, which trigger dopamine—the pleasure neurotransmitter—creating stimulant-like highs and the ache of separation.
Dr. Sandberg envisions a modern love potion blending oxytocin, vasopressin, and dopamine to target the brain's right hemisphere, a feat on the horizon. 'Our grasp of brain function has advanced tremendously,' he states. 'I'd be surprised if we couldn't stimulate specific regions within 10 years.' Commercialization could follow in 20. Yet, manipulating emotions raises grave ethical concerns, comparable to date-rape drugs. He suggests therapeutic uses: bolstering long-term couples or mending those hit by crises to avert breakups.
If love potions existed, would you try one?
