Did you catch the article on "vole love" in the Courier's science section on Monday? Scientists studying prairie voles discovered that close monogamous relationships alter the chemistry of the brain. Monogamy causes the release of a compound that builds loyalty and also plays a role in depression during times of separation.
Human brains have the same loyalty chemical and may be subject to a similar impact following the loss of a partner. One of the authors of the study said the experiment might help explain the longing people feel for partners who are absent and might also shed light on why couples remain in bad relationships.
The brain chemical responsible for maintaining the loyalty bonds is CRF (corticotropin-releasing factor). There are drug companies working on drugs that act on CRF to treat depression and anxiety disorders. I don't know that we'll ever have a quick fix for grief, but it's nice to know that our brains are giving monogamy a little boost.
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