Do you know why you fall in love?
The answer is complex, but here we share some aspects ...
We all have been in love with "someone special" and it 's like us on board the roller coaster emotions, 'butterflies' in the stomach, anxiety, longing to return to see that person, obsessive thoughts, amorous fantasies - and many other emotions clog our mind throughout the day. But, why do we fall in love? Is there an explanation by science or psychology for the phenomenon of love?
The answer is complex, but here we share some aspects about falling in love in the light of science.
First of all, what role does falling in love have from the point of view of biology and evolution? There is a theory that says that as newborn humans are extremely fragile and require a lot of care to survive, nature has found a mechanism for their parents - in this case, the human male and female - to stay together and help each other, in raising of the 'human baby'.
That mechanism is falling in love: an intense effective bond that drives a couple to stay together while the babies grow enough to survive - which is essential for the survival of the species. That would be a first answer as to why we fell in love.
On the other hand, when we meet "that special person" and we feel attracted to him or her, many things happen in our brain that, together, define the sensations and emotions that we identify as "falling in love".
Helen Fisher, of the Rurgers University, establishes three phases of love: desire, attraction and commitment. These phases are determined by a series of substances that act in our brain.
In the first phase, the desire is governed by two hormones: testosterone, in the case of men, and progesterone for women. These are responsible for the sexual impulse in general, which is responsible for the desire to find a partner ... to mate with him or her. Or, at least, that's what biology says.
In the second phase, the attraction or falling in love, when one "has been shot by Cupid" and can not think of anything other than the beloved, are three neurotransmitters that come into action:
Adrenaline: a response similar to that of stress is activated, and therefore the levels of adrenaline and cortisol increase in the blood; that's why when you meet 'that person' your heart starts to beat faster, you sweat and your mouth dries up.
Dopamine: This neurotransmitter, which is present in the brain of lovers, stimulates the mechanisms of 'desire and reward' generating an intense sensation of pleasure. According to Fisher, a reaction similar to that of someone who inhales cocaine occurs in the brain: euphoria, energy, reduction of appetite and sleep, and attention focused on a single objective: the loved one.
Serotonin: Have you ever wondered why you can not stop thinking about your beloved or loved one? Because serotonin is the cause of the 'obsession of love': according to studies, the amount of serotonin in the brains of lovers is similar to that of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Finally, oxytocin, a hormone that is released when men and women experience an orgasm, comes into play in the commitment phase. This hormone strengthens feelings of bond between two people each time they have sex, and that is why it is known as "the hormone of fidelity".
And at the end of the list is another hormone: vasopressin, which encourages us to have sex without reproductive purposes and allows the formation of long-term partners. In animal tests, vasopressin encourages the male to protect the female and prevent other 'suitors' from approaching her.