THE SCIENCE BEHIND LOVE

L-O-V-E!!!!

Just what exactly is happening in our brain when our love meter runs?

How do we know that we love someone?

Psychologists made a study and came up with this data:

• It takes between 90 seconds and 4 minutes to decide if you fancy someone.
• Research has shown this has little to do with what is said, rather                     -55% is through body language               -38% is the tone and speed of their voice   -7% is through what they say

THE THREE STAGES OF LOVE

Stage 1: Lust

This is the first stage of love and is driven by the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen – in both men and women.

Stage 2: Attraction

This is the amazing time when you are truly love-struck and can think of little else. Scientists think that three main neurotransmitters are involved in this stage; adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin.

Adrenaline The initial stages of falling for someone activates your stress response, increasing your blood levels of adrenalin and cortisol. This has the charming effect that when you unexpectedly bump into your new love, you start to sweat, your heart races and your mouth goes dry. Dopamine Helen Fisher asked newly ‘love struck’ couples to have their brains   examined and discovered they have high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. This chemical stimulates ‘desire and reward’ by triggering an   intense rush of pleasure. It has the same effect on the brain as taking cocaine! Fisher suggests “couples often show the signs of surging dopamine: increased energy, less need for sleep or food, focused attention and   exquisite delight in smallest details of this novel relationship." Serotonin And finally, serotonin. One of love's most important chemicals that may explain why when you’re falling in love, your new lover keeps popping into your thoughts

Does love change the way you think?
A landmark experiment in Pisa, Italy showed that early love (the attraction phase) really changes the way you think.

Dr Donatella Marazziti, a psychiatrist at the University of Pisa advertised for twenty couples who'd been madly in love for less than six months. She wanted to see if the brain mechanisms that cause you to constantly think about your lover, were related to the brain mechanisms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. By analysing blood samples from the lovers, Dr Marazitti discovered that serotonin levels of new lovers were equivalent to the low serotonin levels of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder patients.

Stage 3: Attachment

Attachment is the bond that keeps couples together long enough for them to have and raise children. Scientists think there might be two major hormones involved in this feeling of attachment; oxytocin and vasopressin.

Oxytocin - The cuddle hormone

Oxytocin is a powerful hormone which deepens the feelings of attachment and makes couples feel much closer to one another after they have had sex. Oxytocin also seems to help cement the strong bond between mum and baby and is released during childbirth. It is also responsible for a mum’s breast automatically releasing milk at the mere sight or sound of her young baby. 

Vasopressin

Vasopressin (also called anti-diuretic hormone) works with your kidneys to control thirst. It is also known as "the monogamy chemical." Researchers have found that suppression of vasoppressin can cause males to abandon their love nest and seek new mates.

There you have it. I never thought love would really have chemistry behind it!