The Neurobiology Behind Human Attachment

Attachment is a defining trait in mammals. Thus, research on the neurobiology behind human attachment is also based on research on animals. Recent studies suggest that association is based on the interaction between oxytocin and dopamine in the corpus striatum.

What seems quite certain is that different types of human attachment divide the neurobiology into the attachments on which they are based. In general, they are characterized by the synchronization between behavior and the integration of the cortical and subcortical networks involved in the reward and motivation mechanisms, integrated simulation, and mentalization.

The neurobiology behind human attachment

According to Ruth Feldman, who researches the neurobiology behind human attachment, we should study attachment in mammals from a developmental perspective. Thus, the associated cerebral cortex is associated with experiences from early childhood in children aged two to four years.

The connections that come later, such as romantic partners or close friends, use the same basic machinery that was created by the first connection between mother and child in early “sensitive periods”.

Researchers define these “sensitive periods” as early and specific time windows when the brain experiences certain environmental contributions to mature properly. In terms of attachment, these involve the typical upbringing behavior of the species.

Suggestions for neurobiological models for human attachment

In his research, Dr. Feldman put together various suggestions on the neurobiology behind human attachment:

• As we mentioned earlier, research on human attachment should follow a development perspective. In this way, neurobiological systems would support the bond between two mammals. The mother and offspring constitute this relationship in the early sensitive periods of life (6).
• The continuity of neurobiological systems maintains the human connection. Human attachments use the same basic machinery established by the link between parents and children to form other attachments over a lifetime (such as romantic relationships or close friendships) (7).
• Human ties are selective and long lasting. They are the goal of attachment, and they can last a lifetime (1).
• Attachment is based on behavior triggered by expressed patterns of behavior that are specific to a species, a society, or an individual. Creating bonds involves top-down processes. Attachment-related behavior activates the brain and neuroendocrine systems (4, 8).

• The synchronicity of biological behavior is an important characteristic of human attachment. In other words, the connection between non-verbal behavior and the coordinated physiological response between two individuals during social contact is what characterizes human attachment (9).
• The central role of the oxytocin system and the dopamine-oxytocin compound are involved in human motherhood. They also have to do with fatherhood, being parents together, romantic connection, and close friendships. The integration of oxytocin and dopamine in the corpus striatum attracts association with motivation and vitality (10).

More theories

• Creating bonds with others means greater activity and a stricter interference between the relevant systems. In periods where affiliations are formed, you can see the activation of the closest relationships between the systems that support belonging, reward, and stress management (11).

• Human connections promote homeostasis, health and well-being. Social connections improve our health and make us happier. Social isolation, on the other hand, makes us more stressed, is harmful to our health, and can cause death (12).
• Affiliation patterns are passed down from generation to generation. Behavioral patterns you experience early in your life organize the availability of oxytocin and the localization of the receptor in the infant’s brain. Thus, their ability to raise the next generation is initially programmed (13, 14).
• The connection between mother and child, as well as the closeness to mother, constitutes the organ that is the brain. This allows it to function within the social ecology. The immature brain of a mammal and the need to be close to a mother, breastfeeds the brain as an organ that constantly responds to the social environment (15).

• The bonds you experience during your life are transformative. Healthy bonds that you form later in life can actually repair negative relationships from the early years. The plasticity of the human brain and the fact that its nature is based on behavior allow later connections to reorganize neural networks and, at least in part, to repair early negative experiences (16).

To conclude, it seems that the basis of the neurobiology behind human attachment is the interactions between oxytocin and dopamine in the brain. It also appears that these cerebral systems are formed under the attachment of infants. Thus, it may be interesting to know that these systems are recycled later to create other connections, such as friendship or love.