What Happens To Your Body When You Fall In Love
Now I can be negative about men and love, but believe it or not, I did fall in love once. I was excited and nervous and giddy. It was indescribable in a way. And it felt so damn good.
The Three Phases Of Love
Lust, attraction, and attachment make up the three phases of love and in that order. According to an article published on Sciencedaily, after lust blood flows to the brain’s pleasure center. During the attachment phase, “the body develops a tolerance to the pleasure stimulants.”
Love = Addiction
In an article by CNN’s Lindsey Tigar, she talks about how your body reacts when you fall in love. I have to say I agree with a lot of it.
They say being in love is like a drug addiction. I agree. I could not get enough of him. Dopamine and adrenaline are the chemicals your brain releases that make your bond stronger with your partner. Tigar writes, “Like drugs, the more time you spend with this person, the more addicted you become.”
You Feel Attached And Secure
When you fall in love all the fun hormones start flowing through your body. According to a Harvard Medical School report published on Businessinsider, ” Oxytocin, a hormone released through physical contact like hugging, kissing, and sex, deepens feelings of attachment towards your partner and produces sensations of contentment, calmness, and security.” Oxytocin also increases trust with your partner. Not having trust between your partner is a sign your oxytocin has quit it’s job.
You Feel Happier
Oxytocin isn’t the only hormone released when you fall in love. Your brain releases dopamine which has been dubbed “the happy hormone.”
You Feel Butterflies
I always hear people saying they feel butterflies when they fall in love. I personally have never felt it. This probably means either I’ve never been in love or my vagus nerve is broken. The vagus nerve is a nerve connected from your brain to your gut. When it’s stimulated the butterflies are released!
The Way You Speak
Now let’s be clear, I would never baby talk, it actually makes me insane hearing couples talk to each other in baby voices. However, when you’re in love, there’s a good chance your voice might get higher when you speak to them. I’m guilty of this. I can’t explain why, but when I spoke to him, it just happened.
What About Men?
Now when men and women fall in love the effects are pretty similar, except when it comes to levels of testosterone and estrogen. According to Dr. Helen Fisher of Health Plus, men’s testosterone levels rise when they are falling in love.
Is All Of This True?
“When we’re separated from our partner for brief or extended periods of time, we respond like a drug addict who is coming off of their addiction,” writes Tigar.
I would stand in the middle of the Supreme Court and attest to this 100%. I can go about one day without talking to him but that’s it. After that I’d start to get sad and miss him. Don’t even get me started on how many times I wanted to be with him a week. Life felt so much better just being next to him. Take watching Supermarket Sweep, it’s cool to watch alone but there’s a song that goes, “I would rather be alone together.” I kind of felt like I was obsessed but then I realized, I was in love.