可以鞏固男女感情的化學反應大綱

Researchers have shed light on the chemistry that bonds one person to another by taking brain scans of men being stroked while in their underpants.

據英國《衛報》報道，研究者在對大腦進行掃描時發現，當男性穿着內褲被女性撫摸時，大腦皮層會分泌一種化學物質，增強雙方關係。

The Finnish study found that gentle stroking – which was not in sexually arousing areas – changed levels of opioid brain chemicals which work behind the scenes to form lasting bonds in animals.

芬蘭科學家研究發現普通程度的撫摸——不觸及性敏感地帶——將會改變大腦內阿片類化學物質（ opioid brain chemicals）的分泌程度，這些分泌物會在動物體內起到促成長久聯繫的作用。

The findings suggest that opioids might be the critical chemicals that enables human brains to distinguish between strangers and people who are closer to us, such as friends, families and lovers.

研究表明，阿片類物質可能作爲一種非常重要的化學物質，幫助人類大腦區別陌生人以及關係親密的人，諸如朋友、家人和戀人。

"We know this is hugely important for humans because we have these strong, lasting bondings with friends and relatives and so on. But what kind of system maintains these bonds, and makes them last?" said Lauri Nummenmaa who studies the neural circuitry of emotions at Aalto University in Finland.

芬蘭阿爾託大學(Aalto University)情緒神經迴路研究員,勞瑞·努曼瑪（Lauri Nummenmaa）表示：“這個發現對於人類而言相當重要，因爲我們與我們的朋友，親屬等都有着深刻，持久的關係。但究竟是什麼樣的生理系統在維持這種聯繫，使得這種關係得以長久保持的呢？”

Studies in animals have shown that opioids can play a crucial role in pairing up. Prairie voles are monogamous in the wild, but when given a drug that blocks opioid in their brains, they seek out other partners. If opioids are blocked in monkeys, they groom others less and neglect their babies.

動物實驗中發現，阿片類物質將在兩性關係中起到至關重要的作用。野生的草原田鼠屬於單配型生物，但當實驗組給草原田鼠服用藥物，腦中阿片類物質分泌被抑制以後，它們開始尋找其他的伴侶。倘若猴子腦內的阿片類物質被抑制分泌，它們梳理其他同類毛髮的次數減少，也不再看護自己的小孩。

To see whether opioids were important in human bonding, the researchers invited nine couples into the lab. The men stripped off to their underpants and lay under a blanket in a PET scanner. The first scan was taken while the men were alone. For the second, their partners touched them gently all over, but avoided anywhere likely to arouse them sexually.

爲了研究阿片類物質對於人類關係是否具有重要的作用，研究人員邀請了九對伴侶參加實驗。所有男性要求脫去衣物，只保留內衣，然後讓他們平躺在正子掃描儀下，蓋上毛毯。在他們處於單人環境下時，進行第一次掃描。接着邀請他們的伴侶輕柔的撫摸其全身，但儘量避免觸碰他們的性興奮區，然後對所有男性進行第二次掃描。

"I'm really proud of the Finnish general public," said Nummenmaa. "We had no problem whatsoever in recruiting people for the experiment."

努曼瑪表示:“我爲芬蘭大衆感到非常驕傲。”“我們不費力氣就找到了願意參與本次實驗的志願者。”

When the researchers compared the men's scans, they noticed that gentle stroking caused a drop in natural opioids in brain areas called the ventral striatum and the anterior cingulate cortex, which are mainstays of the brain's reward circuitry. This was counter to expectations: they had expected levels to rise.

當研究人員對比兩次掃描結果後發現，輕柔的撫摸導致大腦內部腹側紋狀體與前扣帶腦皮質分泌自然阿片類物質，而二者正是大腦獎勵迴路機制的重要區域。但這一發現與之前的預測相違背：研究人員本期待阿片類物質在分泌濃度上有所提升。

Nummenmaa said that opioid might work in a similar way to a painkiller, with the body needing less the more comfortable it was. "The opioid system is typically engaged during pain, so you get a boost in painful situations. The social touching might be doing exactly the opposite. You can think of it as pain alleviation. That might be the underlying mechanism for why hooking up with others makes us feel so good in the first place," said Nummenmaa. Details of the study were given at theSociety for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego.

努曼瑪聲稱，阿片類物質也許在某種程度上與止疼片起着類似的作用，當身體需求減少時，人就會感到更加舒服。努曼瑪稱：“阿片類系統傳統上會在出現疼痛時被分泌出來。所以當你感到疼痛時，它就會被大量分泌出來。而社交性的觸碰或許與之完全相反，你可以把它當成緩解疼痛的物質。它或許可以被看成一種基本機制，用於解釋爲什麼當去勾引別人的時候會首先讓我們感覺如此棒。”聖地亞哥舉行的神經科學學會會議（Society for Neuroscience meeting）上給出了關於此次實驗的詳細信息。

Opiate drugs have the same effect as the body's natural opioids, and just as people build up tolerances to drugs, develop cravings, and suffer withdrawal symptoms, similar processes play out with relationships.

阿片類藥物與人體分泌的自然阿片類物質有着相同的效果，就像人體對藥物產生的耐藥性曲線一樣，會遭遇脫穩狀態（withdrawal symptoms）,人類的關係也會經歷相同的過程。

"If something similar happens when you are establishing social bonds that would make perfect sense. You would need your daily fix, or at least a fix now and then, and unless you got that you would start to feel pain," said Nummenmaa.

努曼瑪表示，"如果你與別人建立某種聯繫,在你感覺相當好的時候出了點事,除非你不再感到痛苦，否則你就需要來一個日常調整，或者至少時不時需要調整一下你自己。"