Pair bonding mammals appear to be more susceptible to substance addictions than other mammals – unless they have already pair-bonded. An established pair bond can actually ease addiction risk by making an artificial competing “high” comparatively less appealing.
This means that forming and sustaining healthy pair bonds makes sense as a top priority in today’s enticement-heavy environment. At the same time, it means that those who haven’t yet formed pair bonds are vulnerable to getting hooked on artificial substitutes – and perhaps ultimately finding real relationships less rewarding in comparison.
It would be well to investigate whether online erotica, sex toys, dating apps and other artificial stimuli have the potential to interfere with human pair bonds at a neurobiological level. Already there are dozens of studies correlating the use of such stimuli with reduced sexual and relationship satisfaction.
The research below provides examples of the pair-bonding mechanism, its protective gifts, and its vulnerabilities. It appears that the neurochemical oxytocin plays a role, at least in men.
Dr. Heike Melzer discusses the issue of competing stimuli in this TEDx talk. Click “CC” to turn on subtitles.
Alcohol’s Effects on Pair-Bond Maintenance in Male Prairie Voles
The behavioral anatomical and pharmacological parallels between social attachment love and addiction
Amphetamine reward in the monogamous prairie vole
Dopamine and opioid systems interact within the nucleus accumbens to maintain monogamous pair bonds
Biological Contribution to Social Influences on Alcohol Drinking: Evidence from Animal Models
Pair-bonding animal model for testing and treatment
Prairie Voles as a Model to Screen Medications for the Treatment of Alcoholism and Addictions
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