Until the hormone separates you
We owe the intense feelings associated with love to a whole series of chemical and neurological processes, and a very serious field of research has even been devoted to the detection of love-related processes. According to Rutgers University researcher Helen Fisher, an expert in the biochemistry of love, the way we fall in love can be divided into three stages.
Are you afraid to make the first move? Get on your hormones!
In the first stage of love, desire awakens in us for the other party. This feeling is also generated by hormones: testosterone and estrogen, which stimulate us to take the first step towards our chosen one.
"It's out of its mind"
And really: the stage of attraction is burning love in the classical sense. It can be accompanied by symptoms such as loss of appetite, insomnia or concentration disorders. The face turns red, the heart beats faster, the pulse rises, the hands may become clammy. It may also happen that we stutter, catch our breath, and find it difficult to think clearly. These effects are also caused by chemical substances: dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.
I'll stay if you want
The third phase of love is attachment. Commitment can be the key to a lasting relationship, which is also facilitated by hormones: oxytocin and vasopressin. Vasopressin is considered to be the "hormone of monogamy", and it is the cause of life-long mating in some animal species. During sexual intercourse, both hormones are released, which strengthens the bond between the members of the couple.
Crazy love
Some research has shown that the feeling of love can be similar to the effects of drugs. The same regions of the brain are activated when using euphoric drugs and when we look at a picture of our love. It has also been shown that the brain processes of lovers and certain mental patients are similar. Love can really take your mind away, which is why the phase of burning love cannot last forever.