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The chain of events leading from negative emotional responses
to external events to impact on disease has been well worked
out. There has been less research into the application of
the same model to studying the effects of positive emotional
responses on health. The same approaches and standards that
have been used in the stress literature can be applied to
the studying of the chain of events leading from altruistic
love to beneficial effects on health. It is possible that
the mechanism by which altruistic love affects health occurs
through blocking or attenuating the stress response, or through
activating positive neurotransmitter pathways in the brain.
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What can we learn about the
neurobiology of altruistic love? |
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What are the neurohormonal
and neurotransmitter transduction mechanisms associated
with altruistic love? |
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Does altruistic
love positively affect specific aspects of immune cell
function or other measurable elements of health or disease?
If so, are these effects mediated through neurophysiological
pathways, neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and neurohormones
activated by altruistic love? |
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How do learning, memory, and
early maternal environmental factors impact the development
of altruistic love behaviors? |
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