Psychology professor Máire Ford previously spoke with Bored Panda about how romantic relationships can enhance one’s life. She explained the importance of a deeper connection with a significant other compared to a friend or acquaintance.
“For example, with a significant other we can expect a certain level of responsivity to our needs. If we need support because we are going through a hard time, we will typically find it easier to rely on those who are closest to us, such as our significant others, versus those with whom we have a more casual relationship.”
Neuroscientists like Dr. Lucy Brown have been studying the human brain when a person is in love. According to her findings, the brain region activated by romantic love is the same part connected to addressing basic needs like food and water.
Interestingly, this connection between love and basic survival instincts is why love memes often resonate so deeply with people. They capture the intensity and simplicity of these emotions in a humorous way.
“It’s the area of the brain that controls things like swallowing and other basic reflexes,” Dr. Brown told the American Psychological Association. “While we often think about romantic love as this euphoric, amorphous thing and as a complex emotion, the activation we see in this very basic part of the brain is telling us that romantic love is actually a drive to fulfill a basic need.”
Romantic feelings are much more pronounced during the early parts of the relationship, otherwise known as the honeymoon stage. For many, those emotions fade as the years pass.
However, studies show that humans are biologically programmed to stick with their partners, regardless of how good or bad things can get. As Dr. Brown explains, this is all thanks to the brain’s basal ganglia region, which is responsible for motor control.
“This is an area of the brain heavily involved in promoting attachment, giving humans and other mammals the ability to stick it out even when things aren’t going quite so well.”
According to research, long-term love also activates more cognitive areas in the brain, the mirror neuron system. It is the region that helps a person anticipate the actions of their loved ones.
“People in love have this symbiotic, synergistic connection thanks to the mirror neuron system, and that’s why we often say some couples are better together than the sum of their parts,” said neuroscientist Dr. Stephanie Cacioppo. “Love makes us sharper and more creative thinkers.”
Oxytocin, dopamine, and phenethylamine are three chemicals associated with falling in love. According to licensed psychologist and sex therapist Dr. Rachel Needle, these chemicals function similarly to amphetamine.
“Falling in love is associated with increased energy, narrowing of mental focus, sometimes sweaty palms, light-headedness, racing heart, and a lot of positive feelings,” Dr. Needle said in an article published by South University in Savannah, Georgia.
There is a point when romantic love evolves into a longer-term commitment. Psychology professor Elizabeth Kane explained this process in another interview with South University.
“Romantic love evolves when one feels a sense of interdependence, attachment, and that their psychological needs are being met. Some researchers say oxytocin plays a part in the evolution of romantic love as it is released in the brain during orgasm, which contributes to the couple’s ability to bond with one another.”
Many people believe that love and fate go hand in hand, thanks to images and concepts conjured by Hollywood. Some subscribe to the idea that a relationship is a failure once the “spark” fades. But according to Dr. Needle, it’s all a myth.
“Get rid of the myth that these things should just happen spontaneously and that there is something wrong with the relationship because you are not all over each other every minute, as when you began the relationship. The truth is that you have to put in time and energy and make a conscious effort to sustain the relationship and the passion.”
