High alpha-band activity of prefrontal cortex contributes to the significant neural alterations in the initial two-month phase of a romantic relationship

Romantic relationships are integral to human experience, with most individuals encountering them at some point in their lives. The neural mechanisms of romantic relationships have gradually gained attention. However, existing studies have mainly focused on the cross-sectional level, and longitudinal research is not sufficient, especially regarding the early stages when couples first enter a romantic relationship. The brain's neural transition from a normal state to the honeymoon phase of love remains poorly understood. To answer this question, we, the authors, used ourselves as subjects; after confirming our romantic relationship, we employed portable electroencephalography (EEG) to record neural activity in the prefrontal cortex during resting states (both with eyes open and closed). Data collection occurred irregularly over a period of around two months, resulting in 13 EEG data trials per individual. We found that there was a consistent decrease in the high alpha band neural activity under the closed-eye state for both of us over the two-month period, suggesting a potential correlation with the neural activity changes in the early stage of the romantic relationship. Further analysis revealed that this decrease was driven by changes in periodic components rather than non-periodic components. This study is the first to reveal a significant change in the alpha oscillatory activity of the prefrontal cortex in a couple during the initial two months after confirming their romantic relationship, which will further impact the understanding of the mechanism of alpha sub-oscillations and their application in the study of emotions process.