Love, Brain, and Algorithms: How Modern Relationships Are Changing

Psychologist Ioanna Tsapali analyzes in APE-MPE how the digital age affects love, the brain, and modern relationships.

Tsapali explains that the brain is activated by dopamine and bonding hormones, but the environment has changed: from gradual discovery to quick swipes, and from physical presence to the screen.

Dating apps: The architecture of dating apps is based on variable reinforcement, leading to constant stimulation without substantial connection. The oversupply of partners makes commitment difficult, activating the paradox of choice.

Sexting: Sexting can be beneficial as a fantasy game, but it can become a substitute for real intimacy. Deep emotional connection requires time, trust, and vulnerability.

Artificial intelligence: Digital companions offer understanding but lack reciprocity and conflict. True love presupposes otherness and the existence of an autonomous 'Other'.

Tsapali concludes that love remains a dynamic process of exposure to a real 'Other', and the question is whether we are willing to endure the vulnerability that true love brings.