Doctor Cupid: Is love really a result of chemical reactions?

Love has been around for time immemorial and will most likely be around when we’re gone.

It’s been around for so long that even in the Holy Book, Jacob had to marry two sisters after originally going for the first one and finding himself falling in love with the second.

Love is something that is so gripping and intense that so many people commit crimes in the name of love, even employing charms to make sure that their feelings are reciprocated.

Many people enjoy the pleasures of true love in its many forms, from lovers, family, and others. Others have not been so lucky.

But how does one develop come about? What triggers one to love one person and not another?

There are many who claim that love is as a result of chemical reactions in the brain and so we should not allow ourselves to be fooled by our feelings.

But is love really a result of chemical reactions in the brain?

Scientists have worked to study the brain and to understand what exactly it is that makes us feel all mushy and tingly inside whenever we are in love.

According to Psychology Today, love really is a result of chemical reactions in the brain.

A Syracuse professor compared the brain activity of people in love to those of a person who uses cocaine.

They added that falling in love takes about a fifth of a second. Something to note from this is that it means that if your partner (male or female) doesn’t love you, then they don’t.

People in love have higher hormones compared to those who are not in love. For example, the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin, present in a region called the hypothalamus, cause lovebirds to develop stronger feelings of attachment to each other.

The knowledge of this is so common that perfume makers try to include oxytocin in their perfumes, except that the dose is so small, it barely has any effect.

In effect, love increases with the time spent with your partner. According to scientists, it is similar to the feeling of being addicted to drugs.

The more time you spent with your partner, the more the love you feel for them increases.

…or is love not a result of chemical reactions in the brain?

No matter how you think about it though, chemicals are not all there is to it, as several people will disclose.

While some people fall in love in one-fifth of a second (as scientists claim), others take years and years to feel anything more than respect for their partners.

Is it that the chemicals that should make us fall in love immediately are just dormant or they just sometimes take their time with it.

It is no secret that many, many times, people fall out of love. This raises the question: what happens to the hormones then? Do they just stop working or is there something larger at work?

So, whether or not we believe that love is a chemical reaction, there are some tough questions to answer for both sides.

In conclusion…

On our part though, we believe it’s a 50:50 thing.

The chemicals may bring us together, but the effort and commitment that we bring to our relationships help solidify them and make them all the sweeter and longer-lasting.

What’s your opinion on this topic? Do you think love is a result of chemical reactions or do you think something more is at play here?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. We’ll be watching. Meanwhile, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for more stories that you’ll love.