What If Love Didn't Exist?

WHAT IF

12/18/2023

Would we still have any desire to procreate?

Transcript

00:00 Love can make us do some pretty crazy things.

00:07 When we're in love,

00:09 our brains release a cocktail of neurochemicals

00:12 that not only affect our moods and our well-being,

00:15 but are also crucial for the survival of the human race.

00:21 So what would happen if we all woke up one day

00:25 without the ability to give,

00:27 receive,

00:28 or feel love?

00:33 When we talk about love,

00:52 we're not just referring to the romantic type

00:55 that exists between sexual partners.

00:58 We're also talking about platonic love

01:01 between family members, friends,

01:03 and believe it or not, even co-workers.

01:08 Because love extends into so many different aspects of our lives,

01:12 a world without it would mean a lot more

01:14 than just not wanting to make babies anymore.

01:17 How would our economy change?

01:20 Would sex disappear completely?

01:24 And why could a lack of love

01:26 lead to a world full of substance abuse?

01:34 Before we can appreciate how different our lives would be without love,

01:38 we have to understand how it works first.

01:42 Love is not as simple as the

01:44 happily ever after tales you may have heard.

01:46 Instead, it's more like a complex dance of neurochemicals.

01:51 Sounds romantic, right?

01:53 Falling in love starts with an attraction between two people,

01:57 and evolves into an attachment.

02:00 When we fall in love,

02:01 it stimulates the pleasure center of the brain,

02:04 and that results in the release of feel-good chemicals

02:07 such as dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and adrenaline.

02:14 These chemicals don't just put a smile on your face,

02:17 they're also important for your overall well-being.

02:21 Dopamine creates feelings of pleasure and satisfaction,

02:25 and it boosts your mood and motivation.

02:28 It also helps regulate your learning and your emotional responses.

02:33 Oxytocin is known as the cuddle hormone,

02:35 because we release it when people snuggle or bond socially.

02:40 It's particularly important for women during the birthing process,

02:44 and nursing.

02:46 Adrenaline helps you by giving your body extra energy,

02:49 making it easier to focus,

02:51 and is responsible for the fight or flight response.

02:56 And serotonin is an important neurotransmitter

02:59 that helps regulate anxiety,

03:01 social behavior, and sexual desire.

03:05 If we didn't release these chemicals regularly,

03:11 our lives would be a lot different.

03:15 For one thing, people would be having a lot less sex,

03:18 as it, along with most physical interactions between people,

03:22 would become more of a chore than anything else.

03:27 The economy would take a major hit,

03:30 because we make a lot of money off love.

03:34 The industries most associated with love are

03:36 jewelry, flowers, candy, and greeting cards.

03:41 And they each add billions of dollars to the U.S. economy every year.

03:48 Even the music industry would be crippled without love.

03:51 It has been estimated that over 100 million love songs have been recorded.

03:57 What would we sing about if we didn't have love?

04:00 And breakups.

04:02 If this world without love becomes the new normal,

04:05 then it will be a less kind world.

04:09 As people won't feel a need to be caring towards each other.

04:14 Friendships will diminish, and family bonds will be strained.

04:19 Bonding between parents and infants will not form as strongly,

04:23 which could seriously affect the child's social and cognitive development.

04:29 Because the happy chemicals released in the brain by love feel so good,

04:34 people may try to recreate those feelings by turning to drugs,

04:38 such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and ecstasy.

04:43 This could lead to a rise in substance addictions.

04:47 The most alarming long-term effect of all this could be that

04:51 the world's population would begin to decrease.

04:55 Love makes people want to have children and create families.

04:59 If there's no love, humans won't be driven to procreate.

05:04 But the good news is that love is so deeply ingrained in our evolution that

05:10 it's extremely unlikely to disappear overnight.

05:15 Now, although the scenario isn't really plausible,

05:18 imagining a world without love can show you just how much we take it for granted.

05:25 If you were the last person on Earth,

05:27 love would probably be one of the first things you'd miss.

05:31 But that's a story for another WHAT IF.

05:36 [MUSIC]

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