Progress in predicting the outcome of relationships, and information about the genetic roots of fidelity, might also make proposing marriage more like a job application—with associated medical, genetic and psychological checks. If it were reliable enough, would insurers cover you for divorce? And as brain scanners become cheaper and more widely available, they might go from being research tools to something that anyone could use to find out how well they were loved. Will the future bring answers to questions such as: Does your partner really love you? Is your husband lusting after the au pair?
通過彼此關聯的醫學、遺傳基因和心理學的檢查,預測人際關系最終結果的研究進展和關于忠誠度的遺傳基礎信息,能使求婚變得更像工作申請。如果這個結論足夠可信,保險公司會為你的婚姻投保嗎?當腦掃描儀變得更便宜更普及,它能由研究工具變成任何人都可以用于發現他們被愛到何種程度的手段嗎?未來會不會就如下問題為人類找到答案:你的伴侶是否真的愛你? 你的丈夫是否正對來家打工的留學女生暗送秋波?
And then there are drugs. Despite Dr Fisher's reservations, might they also help people to fall in love, or perhaps fix broken relationships? Probably not. Dr Pfaus says that drugs may enhance portions of the “love experience” but fall short of doing the whole job because of their specificity. And if a couple fall out of love, drugs are unlikely to help either. Dr Fisher does not believe that the brain could overlook distaste for someone—even if a couple in trouble could inject themselves with huge amounts of dopamine.
接下來當然會有相應的藥物。盡管Fisher博士對此有所保留。我們還是想問:藥物是否可能幫助人們墜入愛河,或者破鏡重圓? 或許不能完全做到,但卻可能部分地提高“戀愛體驗”。對此另一位學者Pfaus博士如是說:藥物達不到整體提高的效果,因為藥畢竟是藥,這就是它的特殊性。如果一對夫婦不再相愛,藥物多半無能為力。Fisher博士不相信大腦可以忽略對某人的厭惡——即使對婚姻危機中的夫婦大量注射的多巴氨,也于事無補。
However, she does think that administering serotonin can help someone get over a bad love affair faster. She also suggests it is possible to trick the brain into feeling romantic love in a long-term relationship by doing novel things with your partner. Any arousing activity drives up the level of dopamine and can therefore trigger feelings of romance as a side effect. This is why holidays can rekindle passion. Romantics, of course, have always known that love is a special sort of chemistry. Scientists are now beginning to show how true this is.
然而,她確實認為調控血液復合胺(5羥色氨)水平能更快地幫助人走出戀愛的低谷。她同時建議和你的伴侶做一些新鮮事,這樣可能哄騙大腦在長期兩性關系中依然能感覺到愛情的甜美。任何喚醒活動都會提高多巴胺的水平而引發浪漫的感受。這就是為什么假日能重新點燃激情的原因所在。當然,愛情浪漫主義者總是認為愛情是一種特殊的化學,而正是科學家們,現在開始展示出了這一看法是如何的千真萬確。