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"Do we have to be able to clearly define "love" (etc) in advance and aspire to an "objective" way to locate it in the brain in order to do scientific research?" -Paul

Yes, I think we do need to have a clear definition of "love" and a plan to determine its neurological correlates in order to "study" the concept of love. That's how scientists go about studying anything. First, there has to be a plan; an experiment based on an observation. Otherwise, no new observations would be made because nothing would be manipulated. I think the articles did a good job of both making a clear argument of the science involved and explaining it in terms that are easily understandable to the masses. There is clearly a plan involved in each of the studies we read, even though the definitions of "love" may differ pertaining to each study. Perhaps we should just think about love in terms of the neurotransmitters found to be responsible for feelings associated with "love". Dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin- clearly, "love" should make a person feel euphoric, and maybe even "connected" to, or "bonded" with, someone. Maybe "love" can be reduced to intense emotional bonds between people. Brain imaging techniques could be used to support findings that love is actually just the product of chemicals creating a classically conditioned response to a person.

As Allie says, "the real question is if there is anything in common in the brain activity of people who are in love." There needs to be an established pattern of activity that can be used as a reference point. Otherwise, what is the point of having all of our brain imaging techniques? In the Science of Romance article, the brain activity patterns that were found in most people in love involved three areas: the ventral tegmental, nucleus accumbens, and the caudate nuclei. The processing that occurs in these areas has something to do with the emotions/bonds involved in what we refer to as "love". The fact that these regions are activated similarly across a sample of individuals provides a platform for studying these areas and their involvement in "love".