Love.
That indescribable feeling.
The way your heart thumps in your chest when you hear a text notification. How your hands get all clammy when you are about to see your partner. Your cheeks reddening and heating up as you go in for that first kiss. Everyone who has ever been in love knows what love feels like and not just when you are beginning to know someone. The love you feel for your partner when he gets you a cup of coffee in the morning, after being together for ten years, is just as strong. The only thing is that it is a little bit different.
The reason I say love is an indescribable feeling is because it probably is, to your brain. It knows lots of things are happening, and it knows that lots of hormones are being released, we are not actually sure what happens in the brain. What we do know is that love feels good.
When you are first starting to get to know someone and you like them, your brain releases dopamine. That dopamine is what makes it so thrilling to see your new beau, to drive to dates with him or her, and to hold hands for the first time in the cinema. Due to your serotonin levels dropping, your desire for your crush goes up considerably, while something called nerve growth factor makes your dependency on your sweetie grow even further. Now, this can get a bit confusing, but there are two different parts of your brain that take care of lust and love.
Love changes eventually.
As you stay with your partner, your brain starts releasing less dopamine when you are around each other. You start to feel a trusting bond towards each other and miss each other way more when you aren’t around one another.
Don’t worry if you are single, though. The effects on your brain are similar to those of other experiences, and the ones that are long-term don’t just happen, they require a certain amount of maintenance.
If you don’t like all of this love talk, you may enjoy listening to some music instead, as it may have some similar effects.
