Some May Call It “Madness”, But It is “Love”
Love is a human emotion which researchers have documented in human groups across the globe. Love is an experience and when described by romantic partners as “deeply in love.”
They show similar neuropsychological activation. Love is traced by certain psychological processes such as intimacy and passion toward a specific partner which is shown by increased levels of oxytocin.
Being in love with your partner motivates you to be close to them, to help them, be kind to them and to be with them.
The characteristics of being in romantic love are universal as when we are in love, we definitely all experience something that is unique to us unlike any other experience.
We tend to give a very significant meaning to the people we love as we become very focused on them. They invade our thoughts, reactions, actions and even dreams. We idealize them to the extent that we may be blinded to their flaws thinking that there is nothing wrong with them. Love can even make us idealize their weaknesses.
For thousands of years, people have wondered why we love and how the process happens. Love is a chemical process that produces certain chemical reactions in our brain, hence, we fall in love. Love is caused by three neurotransmitters:
1. Dopamine:
It is one of the strongest and most effective neurotransmitters that scientists have associated with falling in love. It is the neurotransmitter that is responsible for your mood in terms of addiction, motivation and attention which are the characteristics of falling and being in love. When you are in love, researchers have concluded that it is just like being addicted to a certain substance where you become dependent and start craving the person you love.
2. Norepinephrine:
Similar to the dopamine’s effect, this is responsible for the stimulation we get when being in love, such as, fast heartbeat or butterflies. Sometimes norepinephrine can cause you to have difficulty falling asleep and not eating well.
3.Serotonin:
This neurotransmitter is responsible for constantly thinking about your loved one. Dopamine and norepinephrine are much higher when you are in love, however, serotonin is actually lower when you are in love.
Evidently, there is a negative correlation between the first two chemicals and serotonin. The less your serotonin is, the more obsessed you become about the person you are in love with.
Love can sometimes be confused with lust and attachment. Romance is not the only way to experience desire for someone or even love.
We can experience love or desire through lust and attachment as well. Lust is the sexual desire that we may have for someone and is caused by the hormone testosterone.
The more testosterone our brain produces into our bodies, the higher the lust. Then comes attachment, where we feel happy and comfortable once we are close to our loved ones. Those feelings are produced when our body releases vasopressin and oxytocin which are also known as the “cuddle chemicals” because of the feelings we experience once they are released.