The Emotional Roller Coaster of Love, Sex and Stress Love, Sex and Stress

Love, sex and stress – we humans experience it all. But are these experiences unique to our species?  In humans, many hormonal and neurotransmitter systems are heightened when we are in a state of love. However, hormones and neurotransmitters have ugly sides too.  

Oxytocin is a neurohormone that is released during sex, when a women gives birth, and during breastfeeding to reinforce pair bonding and connection in monogamous animals but it is also associated with aggression, territoriality, and racial bias. 

Dopamine, another neurohormone, plays an important role in falling in love and parental behavior. This hormone also plays a role in learning, memory, emotions, and movement. It’s ugly side: high levels can lead to schizophrenia and psychosis and all known addictions involve dysregulation of dopamine systems. 

Cortisol levels spike when humans fall in love, but it is also a primary stress hormone, similar to adrenaline.  It can curb functions that are harmful in a flight or flight situation. It also alters immune systems, suppresses the digestive system and alters mood motivation and fear.   

These impacts of love, sex and stress are seen across the animal kingdom and can lead to good parenting (or bad), loyalty, social behavior, heightened senses, and lifelong pair bonding (or polygamous behavior).  Explore the emotional roller coaster of love, sex and stress in animals by visiting this display. 

Explore Love, Sex and Stress

3rd Floor Cabinet, Near Human Phys Labs

In humans, hormones are heightened when we are in a state of love – but they have an ugly side too. These impacts of love, sex and stress are seen across the animal kingdom and can lead to good parenting (or bad), loyalty, social behavior, heightened senses, and lifelong pair bonding (or polygamy).

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Highlighted Scientists

Primatologist

Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall is a primatologist who changed our understanding of chimpanzees. Seen as the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 60-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees since she first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960. She witnessed human-like behaviors amongst chimpanzees, from tool use to armed conflict.

Virologist

Yvonne Barr

Barr co-discovered the first known human tumor virus, Epstein Barr virus, along with Sir Anthony Epstein and Bert Achong, in 1964. EBV causes a subset of cancers in immunocompromised individuals, most notably Burkitt’s lymphoma in individuals with concurrent malaria infection. Over 90% of the world is infected! Luckily, our immune systems can keep EBV at bay including their associated cancers. However, if you become infected into adolescence, you might develop infectious MONOnucleusis (a.k.a., the kissing disease).

Chemist

Dr. Percy Julian

Dr. Julian, a pioneering chemist, completed the first total synthesis of a chemical called physostigmine, which was used to treat glaucoma. He discovered how to extract steroids from soybean oil and synthesize the hormones progesterone and testosterone from them. He also synthesized cortisone which was used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Biologist

Nettie Stevens

Nettie Stevens was an American geneticist who discovered sex chromosomes. In 1905 she observed that male mealworms produced two kinds of sperm, one with a large chromosome and one with a small chromosome. When the sperm with the large chromosome fertilized eggs, they produced female offspring, and when the sperm with the small chromosome fertilized eggs, they produced male offspring. The pair of sex chromosomes that she studied later became known as the X and Y chromosomes. Even though her life was cut short by breast cancer she published over 40 scientific papers.

Primatologist

Diane Fossey

Fossey was a pioneer for female biologists through her studies on the allusive mountain gorillas of Rwanda getting close to gorillas when no one else could by imitating their behavior. Fossey identified and cataloged many new aspects of gorilla behavior. After her favorite gorilla, Digit, was killed, she founded the Digit Fund to fund anti-poaching efforts. Fossey and her colleagues devoted significant attention to anti-poaching activities, including running poaching patrols, destroying poacher’s traps, pressuring local authorities to enforce anti-poaching laws, and helping in the arrest of poachers.

UWSP Faculty Support

Thanks to the following professors for helping to curate materials for the Love, Sex and Stress display cabinet.

• Sarah Jane Alger
• Brian Barringer
• Karin Bodensteiner
• Jennifer Bray
• Peter Zani