Do you remember
when you fell in love with writing? After your first kiss you lived in a state
of euphoria with a racing heart. Your hands flew over the keyboard as you tackled,
and conquered, every Everest in your path. And then reality hit. The shine of
the honeymoon faded. Amor began to sound more like grammar, and weak-in-the-knees
turned to foot-in-mouth disease as we faced the everyday routine of deadlines, revisions,
and word count.
Have you noticed
how some writers manage to maintain that long-term love of pen, paper, and
predicates? How do they do it? Looking inside the biology of a love-brain may
give us a clue.
In 2011, Drs.
Bianca Acevedo and Arthur Aron of the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook
University, New York, used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) on seventeen
individuals who had been happily married for an average of 21 years. Their
findings concluded that the brain activity surrounding long-term romantic love
is very similar to the exhilarated brain of a newly-married couple.
What secret did
they uncover? How does love linger over decades and last through never-ending
laundry and loan payments? Acevedo and Aron hang lasting love all on one hook –
Dopamine. It’s the same chemical in the brain that generates “I feel good”
every time a drug addict takes a hit. No wonder they say love is addicting.
“Our brains view
long-term passionate love as a goal-directed behavior to attain rewards,” says Psychologist
Adoree Durayappah-Harrison. In other words, married couples intentionally provide
their spouse with long-term love in order to procure the rewards, which include
the reduction of anxiety and stress, feelings of security, a state of calmness,
and union with another.
Not all will
agree that love is motivated by a mere “feel good” release of Dopamine. Surely something could be said for day-in and day-out
commitment. Long-term writers, who have celebrated their silver and golden
anniversaries would agree. However, we writers often need encouragement to
persevere, and a prize around the next corner may be just the ticket.
What are some of
the rewards of a long and committed writing life as opposed to a short-lived
infatuation?
- ·
A
body of published work
- ·
A distinctive
voice
- ·
Development of self-discipline
- ·
Discovery
of God and discovery of self
- ·
Growth
in writing skills
- ·
Opportunity
to excel across several genres
- ·
Mentorship
of other writers
- ·
Legacy
of perseverance
- ·
Deeper
relationships
- ·
Lasting
purpose
- ·
Ability
to cope with stress due to consistent routine
Possibly the most
important reward, and not necessarily found in a lab, is that of knowing we
have obeyed the call and the Caller. Crafting words worthy of The Word is a
gift we are humbled to receive. Emptying our pen and soul onto paper to fill up
another lonely, empty soul is more than enough in return.
Now that the veil
has been lifted from the mystery of long-term love, kiss that lovely white screen
before you, hold hands with your pen and cross the threshold once again! Let
the dopamine do its thing while you enjoy the benefits of a long and faithful
writer’s life.
Writers who focus on the rewards may be
“more inclined to stick with the grind”.
Pamela Mytroen
Durayappah-Harrison,
Adoree. “Brain Study Reveals Secrets of Staying Madly in Love.” Psychology
Today. 03, February, 2011. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
Pam writes, nurtures
children and grand-babies, bakes brownies, and teaches EAL, surrounded by the
wind and winsome beauty of the Saskatchewan prairies.
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