What Your Brain Is Like on Love

February 14, 2017

Even if you’ve never been in love, you’re likely no stranger to it. You can find expressions of love anywhere and everywhere – music, movies, poetry, your friends’ Facebook statuses. While we often associate feelings of love with the heart, it is, of course, the brain that controls our emotions. So what exactly is happening when we begin experiencing the feeling of being in love? Let’s take a closer look.

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter which creates feelings of euphoria within us. It’s increased extracellular dopamine along with serotonin and norepinephrine that causes you to feel good when in love, and this physical reaction has been compared to how the brain reacts to the use of cocaine, which may be why “love is a drug” has become such a popular saying.

Additionally, physical touch between you and someone you like can cause the release of the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin, which contribute to feelings of attachment between two people. These feelings of attachment can last you a lifetime.

While love doesn’t always last forever, its effects on the brain sure suggest it’s worth trying to find!