WHY WE LOVE

Ever wondered why you get those butterflies in your tummy?

Well...science has the answer...

 Actually, falling in love is getting into a beautiful trap set up by nature, a natural occurrence we cannot fight.  According to a science-based study, on average, the mind of a person takes between 90 seconds to 4 minutes to determine whether it is struck by love or not.

• 55% of the role is played by body language; this means a brain detects the activities of body movement and decides whether it has received the signals of love or not.

• 38% of the decision to be in love is contributed by the voice—its tone and change in frequency.

• 7% is the reaction to a lover’s statement or choice of words.

There are three stages involved in falling in love. Each stage involves different types of chemical reactions. 

STAGE 1: LUST

Lust is said to be the initial stage of getting involved with love. The feeling of lust is basically backed up or instigated by the sexual hormones within the body.

Estrogen and Testosterone are the two basic types of hormones present equally in men and women’s body that excites the feeling of lust within the brain. Limbic processes in the brain in response to lust have health-promoting and stress-reducing potential. In addition, lust, love, and pleasure ensure the endurance of mankind through mating. The mating process is a discrete interrelated process initiating attraction.

STAGE 2: ATTRACTION

Second stage of acquiring love is attraction. This phase is said to be one of the beautiful moments of life.  This is the phase when a person actually starts to feel the love. His or her impatience for attracting somebody leads to excitement, and the individual is left with no other option but to only think about that specific person.  Scientifically, it has been concluded in the study that there are three more chemicals of attraction that portray drastic changes over the individual’s personality.  The three chemicals of attraction are adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin.

Adrenaline

Scientists have elaborated that initial symptoms of attraction toward someone involves:

• Stress response

• Increase in adrenalin and cortisol

• Attitude reaction

It has been specified in the study that any person who falls in love will acquire a slight or drastic change in the above stated three factors.  Furthermore, attraction is one of the charming effects of life and slight changes in personality are not only natural but are also positive. For this reason, whenever you bump into your crush, your senses decline, your heart beats like a drum, and your mouth is so dry your tongue feels like sandpaper.

Dopamine

To follow the theoretical research, a physical experiment was also conducted to prove the veracity of physical evidence.  The brains of a new couple struck with love were observed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRIs). It was discoverd that the minds of both male and female have large spikes of  dopamine, a chemical that stimulates the feeling of pleasure within the body.

After discovering this, scientists described both the male and female minds are equally high as if they had taken cocaine or somewhat similar drug! Dopamine is a natural stimulant providing you with ecstasy. 

Serotonin

Last but not the least, serotonin has been found as one of the important chemicals involved for exciting the feeling of love. Serotonin basically diverts your mind and bounds you to think about your lover and nothing else. It becomes a path for the mind.

STAGE 3: ATTACHMENT

When a couple passes through the above two stages of love successfully, the time of bonding with each other becomes powerful. Attachment is a bond helping the couple to take their relationship to advanced levels. It instigates the feeling of bearing children and falling in love with them wholeheartedly.

While investigating the “attachment factor,” scientists discovered two sub-stages hormones in the body that attract an individual to retaining the feeling of love with his or her partner. The two hormones, namely, oxytocin and vasopressin are discussed below.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin, also known as “the cuddle hormone,” is one of the most powerful hormones released equally by men and women who have fallen in love. Oxytocin formulates the depth of love and forges the attachment the partner.

Vasopressin

Vasopressin is another important hormone in the long-term commitment stage and is released after sex.

Sources: youramazingbrain.com

examinedexistence.com