The Neuroimaging of Love and Desire: Review and Future Directions

We review recent neuroimaging research on the experiences of romantic love and sexual desire, focusing specifically on the question of links and distinctions between the brain regions involved in these experiences. We conclude that although love and desire are associated with distinct patterns of brain activation, certain regions (such as the caudate, putamen, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex) have shown activation during both experiences, raising the possibility that certain types of love and desire may be relatively distinct from one another (on an experiential and neural level) whereas others are more interconnected. We outline several promising directions for future research on this possibility, for example testing for differences between the neurobiological bases of different types of sexual desires (i.e., those directed toward strangers versus romantic partners; those which are more “responsive” versus automatic, and those which are more or less dependent on an emotional context). We also discuss future research directions related to the study of female sexual desire and orientation.