Experts Say “Love Potion” Not Far Off

Great news, stalkers! Scientists have isolated the chemical that makes us monogamous - and figure it could be used to make us fall in love

Gizmodo alerts us to a New York Times piece on some wild findings out of Atlanta's Emory University. Neuroscientists who were working on research geared at helping the socially impaired to relate better to others accidentally stumbled on a big, fat discovery: They seem to have isolated the chemical responsible for our propensity toward monogamy (which is a fairly rare penchant in the mammal world).

Apparently oxytocin, the chemical in question, is in the same family as cocaine and nicotine, has been proven to enhance "feelings of trust and empathy" in test subjects, and works similarly on all humans -- so developing it into a substance that would trigger these feelings on demand is actually within our grasp.

Even better, when researchers blocked the chemical in usually monogamous rodents, they started slutting around like they were on The Rock of Love Bus. That's right: Not only could you soon have access to a love potion, you could also get your hands on a drug that would make you fall out of love just as instantly and painlessly -- so you don't have to moon around like a lovesick teenager over commitment-phobic schmucks who just aren't that into you! Ah, science. You make everything better.

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