针对家鼠的研究工作使Pfaus博士等研究人员力图查明：具有异性魅力的特征模板，是不是在性行为发展的关键时期形成的？他认为，即使在没有伴侣连接习性的动物当中——如家鼠——这些特征仍可能通过性奖赏的经验固定下来。家鼠能条件反射地偏爱特别类型的伴侣。举例来说，性奖赏同时伴随着某种提示条件，比如具有柠檬气息的异性。这项工作也许有助于对异常的性偏爱的理解。例如，人类的恋物情结发展于早期，而且几乎是不可改变。恋物癖者会把童年时期在视觉上和性经验关联的物体与性满足连接起来，诸如脚、鞋子、布玩具甚至气球等。

So love, in all its glory, is just, it seems, a chemical state with genetic roots and environmental influences. But all this work leads to other questions. If scientists can make a more sociable mouse, might it be possible to create a more sociable human? And what about a more loving one? A few people even think that “paradise-engineering”, dedicated to abolishing the “biological substrates of human suffering”, is rather a good idea.

因此，关于爱的所有光彩之处，看上去只不过是具有遗传基础和受环境影响的一种化学状态。与此相关，这儿涉及的一切还将导致更多其他的问题。如果科学家能制造一只社会性更强的老鼠，那么他们是否可能产生一个社会性更强的人呢？创造一个更惹人喜爱的人，其结果又将如何？一些人甚至认为致力于废除“人类受难的生物学基体”的“天堂工程”，是一个非常不错的主意。

As time goes by / 时光流逝

Progress in predicting the outcome of relationships, and information about the genetic roots of fidelity, might also make proposing marriage more like a job application—with associated medical, genetic and psychological checks. If it were reliable enough, would insurers cover you for divorce? And as brain scanners become cheaper and more widely available, they might go from being research tools to something that anyone could use to find out how well they were loved. Will the future bring answers to questions such as: Does your partner really love you? Is your husband lusting after the au pair?

通过彼此关联的医学、遗传基因和心理学的检查，预测人际关系最终结果的研究进展和关于忠诚度的遗传基础信息，能使求婚变得更像工作申请。如果这个结论足够可信，保险公司会为你的婚姻投保吗？当脑扫描仪变得更便宜更普及，它能由研究工具变成任何人都可以用于发现他们被爱到何种程度的手段吗？未来会不会就如下问题为人类找到答案：你的伴侣是否真的爱你? 你的丈夫是否正对来家打工的留学女生暗送秋波?

And then there are drugs. Despite Dr Fisher's reservations, might they also help people to fall in love, or perhaps fix broken relationships? Probably not. Dr Pfaus says that drugs may enhance portions of the “love experience” but fall short of doing the whole job because of their specificity. And if a couple fall out of love, drugs are unlikely to help either. Dr Fisher does not believe that the brain could overlook distaste for someone—even if a couple in trouble could inject themselves with huge amounts of dopamine.

接下来当然会有相应的药物。尽管Fisher博士对此有所保留。我们还是想问：药物是否可能帮助人们坠入爱河，或者破镜重圆? 或许不能完全做到，但却可能部分地提高“恋爱体验”。对此另一位学者Pfaus博士如是说：药物达不到整体提高的效果，因为药毕竟是药，这就是它的特殊性。如果一对夫妇不再相爱，药物多半无能为力。Fisher博士不相信大脑可以忽略对某人的厌恶——即使对婚姻危机中的夫妇大量注射的多巴氨，也于事无补。 ()