September 7, 2020          

 

          Most of us probably know what it feels like to be around someone we like or love. Your
entire body starts releasing chemicals and having reactions: palms start to sweat, our heart beats
faster, nervousness takes control and freezes us. Some experience intense mood swings such as
anxiety, accelerated breathing, and flushed cheeks. Love is something that can be oddly
terrifying or/and euphoric to many. Regardless of that, there is evidence to show that when we
feel love for someone, it is manifested all throughout our bodies and brain in various forms.
          Research has proved that even though love is one of the most studied subjects, it is also
the least understood. In 2005, biological anthropologist Helen Fisher and her team, conducted a
study with the first functional MRI (fMRI) that displayed 2,500 images of people’s brains when
showed pictures of their loved one and then their acquaintances. The results presented high
activity in two parts of the brain known as the caudate nucleus, which is responsible for reward
detection, and the ventral tegmental area which is associated with pleasure and motivation to
receive rewards. Both of these centers are rich in a neurotransmitter known as dopamine, which
activates whenever we feel a sense of joy and gratification. “Dopamine activates the reward
circuit, helping to make love a pleasurable experience similar to the euphoria associated with use
of cocaine or alcohol” (Tigar). According to this fact, love is usually compared to drug addiction
or drunkenness due to the unleashing of dopamine. Likewise, the brain explodes with this
hormone every time someone is in love, sees their loved one, or simply talks about him or her.
          Even though dopamine is a key player in the feeling of love, there are many other
chemicals and hormone releases involved in this process. Because it’s new and exciting, at the

beginning of a romantic relationship, the stress hormone cortisol increases as well as adrenaline,
while serotonin decreases. Serotonin is responsible for happiness, mood, and anxiety, most often
related to depression. In addition, levels of oxytocin (the love hormone) and vasopressin are
heightened after skin-to-skin contact. These chemicals are based on the principals of pregnancy,
nursing, and mother-infant attachment. Feelings of monogamy increase as a result of these. As
for emotions, negative ones such as fear and social judgement tend to diminish when involved in
a romantic relationship as well as being able to make critical assessments of others. This is the
basis for the well-known statement that “love is blind”. All of these extreme reactions and
changes usually sooth after a year or two, along with stress.
          As mentioned before, the body also expresses itself when we are in love. Examples of
this include our pupils dilating, our voices getting higher, loss of appetite, and even sickness.
"Love sickness may actually be the stress hormone cortisol contracting the blood vessels in your
stomach, making you feel sick (Tigar)." Extensive worry when our loved one leaves is also
common, for some people it is like going through withdrawal from drug addiction. Even though
it sounds unrealistic, it is actually a scientific fact that people can die of a broken heart.
According to the American Heart Association, the term is called “stress-induced
cardiomyopathy” and it can affect anyone when their bodies flood with stress in situations like
divorce, the death of a partner, or a horrible breakup. Symptoms of this are similar to those of a
heart attack, including shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat and chest pain. Broken heart
syndrome can cause irreversible damage to the heart; fortunately, it can be treated in most cases
and resolved within weeks.
          Love is one of the most beautiful and thrilling emotions. It can conquer and it can
destroy, but regardless of the experience, it leaves a never-forgetting mark in you and your body.

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Sources:

• “Love and the Brain.” Neurobiology, neuro.hms.harvard.edu/harvard-mahoney-neuroscience-institute/brain-newsletter/and-brain/love-and-brain.

• Tigar, Lindsay, and Health.com. “How Your Body Reacts When You Fall in Love.” CNN, Cable

News Network, 12 Feb. 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/02/12/health/your-body-on-
love/index.html.