How love affects your health
Love is an emotion that can have an extremely powerful affect on the human body. It can make us laugh, it can make us cry, but at the end of the day, we would never want to live in a world without love. But have you ever wondered how falling in love affects your health?
Why does love make you feel a certain way? When people say that you have “chemistry” with someone, it isn’t a lie. There are many chemicals that influence the feeling of love both mentally and physically. Below we examine all the many factors that love plays in affecting your health.
Love Is Blind
Ever heard the expression, “love is blind?” While it may seem cliché, there is some truth to the phrase. Similar to those who struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder, when you experience feelings of intense love, your serotonin levels are lowered.
For this reason, you might be blind to the less popular traits of your significant other. Low levels of serotonin can also trigger some obsessive behaviors, so you’ll choose to focus your attention on just her good characteristics.
Love Gets on Your Nerves
When you see the love of your life for the first time, and you feel like you have butterflies in your stomach, blame norepinephrine. This hormone is responsible for all the times your heart has felt like it was going to beat right out of your chest.
Why does this happen? Essentially, norepinephrine increases your heart rate. So don’t be surprised when you have trouble speaking, or if you have a red set of cheeks in front of your crush. In other words, those sweaty palms aren’t necessarily because of the warm weather. You might have just met your future spouse!
Love is Addicting
Do you ever wonder why you feel so excited when you experience love at first sight? This is because dopamine is released. Dopamine stimulates a feeling of desire in the brain, giving you the sense that you’re under your new love’s spell.
Additionally, this neurochemical gives you a feeling of euphoria, which is why your brain also releases dopamine in response to certain drugs or medication.
Love Promotes Intimacy
While Dopamine affects you mentally, oxytocin can influence you physically. This chemical is released through touching; it creates a feeling of security and a desire to stay in close contact.
When you love someone, you express that love through hugging and kissing, which is where testosterone comes into play. For example, when couples kiss, this hormone transfers and a greater feeling of attraction is placed inside of each partner.
Love Can Make You Feel Right At Home
Sure, testosterone and dopamine might make you feel rather excited, but there’s another chemical in play when you are in love. When you’ve been with someone for an elongated period of time, your body releases endorphins, which are associated with feelings of attachment and comfort.
Couples who are engaged or married tend to possess more of this chemical, which is why they feel more attached and can’t picture their lives without their spouses.
Have you ever been in love? It can be an amazing feeling and now you know the science behind why!