We can’t really help falling in love. And truth be told, we love falling in love and being in love. We are all familiar with the phrase “Love is a drug” and have heard countless songs about the same. Turns out, that it isn’t merely a saying and that the phrase has some solid science backing it up!
Let’s dive into some scientific romance!
So, the big question here is: Is Love a drug? Something that gives you a rush or something that gets you addicted to it. We all know the addictive nature of drugs and how they take our minds to another mental state – is that the same thing that love does to our brains? Science is answering that for you with a big fat YES!
Renowned psychologist Joann Deak spoke about the dazzling similarities between our brains when we are in love and our brains when we are…well, high on drugs. She says that when a person is madly in love, our brains release a “feel-good” hormone called dopamine, which is in fact the same hormone that drugs like morphine or cocaine trigger the release of in our bodies. Hence, the popular saying ‘“love gives you a high”.
Dopamine also blocks pain and stress the same way certain drugs do. This feeling of extreme happiness and a pleasant ecstasy is what makes a person get more and more attached to the person he or she is likely to be in love with. Romance ignites the same part of the brain that certain feel-good drugs do. We know, right!?
The catch!
While science has given its verdict that love is in fact a drug…the catch here is that the effects of “young romance” or “early stages of love” is what is really similar to the effects of drugs. The euphoric – almost obsessive – stages of a relationship that has just hit the road is what releases these hormones in our brains.
So if you are still not convinced that love is a drug, you should go and ask someone who has just entered a relationship and is madly in love…the answer will be a guaranteed astounding yes!
HAVE A STORY IDEA FOR POPxo? If you want to hear about it, we can write about it! Just tell us your idea here!
MUST-READ: #ScienceSays: Overthinking Things? It Might Be A Sign of Genius!
MUST-READ: #ScienceSays: THIS Is What Makes You Attractive To Other People!
