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Neural Correlates of Human Attachment: Evidence from fMRI Studies of Adult Pair-Bonding

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Bases of Adult Attachment

Abstract

According to some researchers romantic relationships (or pair-bonds) are the adult instantiation of attachment in childhood. This chapter reviews research on the neural correlates of early-stage, newlywed, and long-term pair-bonds highlighting how the dopamine reward system (implicated in motivation and goal-directed actions) mediates their formation, establishment, and maintenance. I also discuss activation of serotonin, vasopressin and opioid rich regions of the raphe and ventral pallidum found among newlyweds and long-term pair-bonds as reflecting the emergence of attachment in adults. Similarly, I discuss results on the association of relationship length with brain activity to further elucidate markers for pair-bond solidification. Finally, I review key sites common for pair-bonds and parent-child bonds as reflecting attachment in areas associated with reward, goal-directed actions, calm, homeostasis, and attention. Collectively, these results highlight how the brain mediates attachment processes (e.g., proximity-seeking, felt security, and responsiveness) that are critical for the solidification and maintenance of pair-bonds, and the evolutionary success of the species.

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Acknowledgement

Bianca P. Acevedo, Department of Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College.

Many thanks Lucy L. Brown and Arthur P. Aron for providing generous feedback on original drafts of this chapter, and to Jonathan Vogelman for his assistance in manuscript preparation.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Bianca P. Acevedo, Weill Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA. E mail address: bianca.p.acevedo@gmail.com.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, 93106, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Bianca P. Acevedo

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  1. Bianca P. Acevedo
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Correspondence to Bianca P. Acevedo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

    Vivian Zayas

  2. Psychology Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

    Cindy Hazan

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Acevedo, B. (2015). Neural Correlates of Human Attachment: Evidence from fMRI Studies of Adult Pair-Bonding. In: Zayas, V., Hazan, C. (eds) Bases of Adult Attachment. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9622-9_9

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