Love is in the...pill?

I came across this article today that basically stated that researchers and scientists are currently working on the development of a "love pill" that would simulate the feeling of love for the user.

"Their proposed pill, a combination of five types of drugs, would biologically manipulate the brain into thinking you really, really, want your spouse—enough to put your differences aside."

While the concept is scientifically interesting, I truly find the idea of a "love pill" to be an awful idea overall. I'm sure that in defense, people will reference Viagra in some way, but the correlation would be faulty.

For example, a man with erectile dysfunction (a medical condition that is completely beyond his control) shouldn't be compared to a man who has lost his emotional connection with his partner and seeks chemical assistance in order to make his relationship last. It could be argued that an emotional connection can also be considered a condition beyond one's control, but in reality, the two scenarios have completely different consequences.

Consider this - how would you feel if your partner was taking a pill in order to be able to perform an expression of love for you? Now, what if your partner was taking a pill in order to have an expression of love for you. Totally different, right?

The idea that someone needs to fabricate feelings and emotions in order to be happy with you would inevitably generate a negative response. What if you both need the "love pill" in order to be happy together? People usually interpret that as a sign that perhaps you aren't meant for one another, but that rationale would become completely obsolete. Why on earth would anyone want to stay in a chemically-induced relationship?

I'm sure the intent behind this pill is to save relationships (as we all know the honeymoon ends at some point), but by saving what? Face? Are we too proud to admit when our feelings have changed past the point of no return? Can we not be honest, call a spade a spade, and move on? We only have a certain amount of life to live and I can't imagine someone choosing to waste their precious time trying to keep up appearances.

To top it all off, let's not forget to mention all of the other possible issues that would arise from this type of drug. Can you imagine the headlines? "It's not cheating! I was drugged with the love pill - I couldn't control myself!" "Student with crush at local high school drugs teacher with love pill" "Love pill parties - how they relate to the increase of STDs and teen pregnancy"...the list could easily go on.

Those maybe extreme assumptions, but they're plausible and that's enough icing on the cake for me. Whether you think this pill is a good idea or a bad idea - I'll will take my chances with true love.

K8