How love affects the brain

The soul sings, the heart languishes… And what happens to the brain of a person in love? Seven changes that are possible only when we know that this is love.

We get addicted

Love is not called a drug for nothing. When we are in love, the same areas in our brain are activated as when we are addicted to drugs. We feel euphoria and desire to experience these experiences again and again. In a sense, a person in love is almost a drug addict, however, he does not risk his health, rather the opposite.

We don’t think about ourselves, but about “us”

Instead of talking and thinking “I”, we start talking and thinking “we”. What is the difference? A recent study showed that those who use the pronouns “I”, “my”, “me” more often are more prone to depression than those who are used to using the pronouns “we” and “our” – which proves once again that love Relationships improve health.

We are getting wiser

Love is good for the psyche. Lovers experience increased levels of dopamine, a hormone associated with pleasure, desire, and euphoria. Relationships in a couple contribute to long life, wisdom and good mental health.

We are more willing to support others

Trust and support are extremely important in a relationship, and our brain is ready to assist us in every possible way. MRI studies show that when we are in love, the activity of the frontal lobes, which are responsible, in particular, for judging and criticizing, decreases, and we are less likely to criticize or be skeptical of people who are important to us.

We are less stressed

Our brain does not forget the sensations from the first touches of a loved one. Surprising fact: when we just hold our partner’s hand, it protects him from stress, lowers blood pressure and reduces pain.

The pleasure center in the brain literally glows

After studying the reactions of the brains of people who confessed to “crazy love” to each other, scientists found that the activity of the “pleasure center” of each of them increased dramatically when they saw … a photograph of a lover. And in the area associated with the response to stress, activity, on the contrary, decreased.

We feel safe

The relationship that binds lovers is similar to the relationship between a child and a mother. That is why the “inner child” turns on in our brain, and our childhood feelings, for example, of total security, return to us. Research also shows that when we are in love, the brain regions associated with fear and negative emotions become less active.

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