Your Chemical Romance

By: Dubem M.

 

The science and reason for love is an enigma in the scientific community. Yes, social relationships and trust between people helped our ancestors survive, but that still doesn’t equate to love. Scientifically speaking, it is hard to tell why caring for another ends and becomes love, yet we all know when it does. But do you know what happens to your body when you see your crush? Let’s explore that…

 

The body when exposed to love for one hour tends to get a little crazy.

 

0:00:03 after seeing your crush

Your eyes dilate by about 70%, this makes the world literally seem brighter.

0:02:00 after seeing your crush

Pleasure centres in your brain begin to fire. Not only does this make you feel better, but you can now feel like to conquer  the world .

0:02:03 AC (after seeing your crush)

Further exposure to these good feelings could lead to addiction, and that is why you sometimes physically want to be around the person that you have feelings for.

0:05:00 AC

Pain and aversion regions of the brain fire much less, and reduce the possibility to feel physical pain.

0:08:49 AC

Pupil dilation is not the only difference on one’s view. A brain will literally begin a more romanticized view of the world and will create an illusion of a Utopia.

0:10:00 AC

Adrenaline coupled with norepinephrine can also cause the famous sweaty palms that many people experience when thinking about that “special someone”.

0:15:44 AC

However, cortisol aka the stress hormone can also be released. It “contracts the blood vessels around the stomach” and can cause the feeling of butterflies in the stomach, which can also lead to nausea. But do not fret, kissing releases endorphins and dopamine that actively counteract the effects of cortisol in the blood stream.

0:20:00 AC

You make more mistakes/ are more clumsy. It’s a fact. The amygdala, frontal and prefrontal cortices show less activity. These regions are responsible for judgment, fear, learning from mistakes, and predicting outcomes.

0:34:00 AC

Constant close proximity can stimulate a surge of dopamine and norepinephrine, which can cause your heart to beat faster and higher levels of desire.

0:47:30 AC

Feelings of motivation, craving and longing are now much higher, which is why people tend to have creative ways of expressing their love like through drawings and poems.

0:56:00 AC

Levels of oxytocin have now created a much stronger (one way) bond between the two people.

1:00:00 AC

You are officially drunk on love, and experiencing one of the most mysterious psychological and physiological events the body will ever go through. Good luck making decisions properly! ❤
The body is a fascinating thing, and coupled with the mystery of love Valentine’s Day is a special and magical time of the year. Though don’t worry if you don’t have a Bae, they’ll appear soon enough, and you’ll also experience your chemical romance.