“Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind.”
– Shakespeare
Describing love would be an endless task for me. However, let’s dive into this article and read about a few psychological facts related to love.
Love is a basic and a little (or maybe more than a little) overrated emotion.
When we think of love, we often ignore the fact that it is an emotion too, and like any other emotional member of our human nature, LOVE can be tamed as well.
No rocket science!
And trust me when I say “No Rocket Science,” I mean it. It’s pure science and can be explained scientifically.
1. It takes only 1/5th of a second to fall for someone.
First of all, let’s categorize Love. Love is subdivided into INFATUATION, LIKING, and then finally LOVE. LOVE is further divided into two types- COMPASSIONATE love and PASSIONATE love.
2. The “Triangular Theory of Love.”
According to this theory developed by psychologist Robert Stenberg, three steps to fall in love with someone- INTIMACY, PASSION, and COMMITMENT.
3. Infatuation owns the highest arousal levels than any other form of attachment.
So, INFATUATION is the initial attraction process accompanied by heart poundings, sensations in different body parts (including, you know what I mean).
4. While LIKING is a step ahead.
You see the world differently; life is more tolerable and a better place to live in with your partner in it; everything they do seems to intimidate you.
5. Compassionate love lasts forever
Compassionate Love develops due to mutual understandings, respect for each other, attachment, affection, intimacy, and commitment. It tends to last longer and stronger and is SELFLESS.
6. Passionate love is momentary
Passionate love or Romantic love develops due to intense emotions, sexual attraction, anxiety, affection, a sense of interdependence, and fulfilling one’s psychological needs. In general, such kind of love is not as durable as the compassionate one and, after a while, is more of a burden for the couples.
6. Now coming to CHEMICALS
It does seem to be paradoxical for “love,” but ‘chemicals’ play the most important role in our love lives.
Adrenaline- Do you remember the first time you got butterflies dancing in your belly. Well, that’s a result of an adrenaline rush.
Dopamine- When falling in love with someone, you experience increased energy levels, less need for sleep and food, focused attention, and the slightest details give you dinosaurs. Dopamine does all of it.
Serotonin- Do you keep thinking about your partner, or do you see your partner’s face in your mind palace every 1-2 minutes or maybe less than that? It is all because of Seratonin.
Oxytocin- It is released during orgasm and makes you fall in love with the person responsible for it.
7. Ever got high?
Well, your brain gets the same amount of ‘hit’ from love as from that of a small dose of cocaine. It’s a sensation of euphoria that hits 12 different areas of the brain and makes us go all mad for that person.
Talking about chemicals, I would like to tell you that oxytocin is also known as ‘the cuddle hormone,’ and it releases natural painkillers. Snuggling can reduce pain, stress, or any such thing for about 4 hours or so.
Nestling around or holding hands with the one you love can make you feel good and reduce your doubts about your relationship.
8. And yes! Breakneck situations make you more vulnerable to love.
It depends on how dangerous it is. According to science, your love is more deep and passionate if you meet up in a dangerous situation (obviously accidental).
9. And coming to the bad part, HEARTBREAKS are real.
By real, I mean it actually causes physical pain to the heart and is often misdiagnosed as heart attacks or B.P problems.
10. We go according to our ‘LOVE MAP.’
We all have our requirement list, aka our ‘Love Map,’ and that’s the reason why we fall for ‘THE ONE.’ And the process isn’t a conscious one. It’s purely subconscious.
11. KISS and TELL
According to our Love Map, we don’t always fall in love, and sometimes things get out of proportion due to a kiss. Kissing helps you decide and understand that who is ‘the one.’
12. You can save money on a therapist after a breakup
The reason therapists can calm people down and make them feel better after breakups or any such thing is that they understand it pretty well. And so can you.
Love remains to be everyone’s foremost priority and continues making us and our lives better. No one can argue that!
Happy Valentine ’s Day folks!