Experts share what really happens to our brains when we're in love

13 January 2024 , 13:22

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Experts have explained what happens to your brain when you're in love (Stock Image) (Image: Getty Images/Westend61)

Being head over heels in love can lead many people to do things that they probably wouldn't do unless they were really into the person - and scientists are one step closer to understanding why.

Until recently scientists didn't know much about love and how it can impact human behaviour but a new study has completely changed things.

The study asked 1,500 young people, who identified as being in love, questions about relationships and their behaviour towards their significant other - and it showed that your brain operates completely differently when you are in love, compared to when you're not.

The study was conducted by Adam Bode, a PhD student at The Australian National University and Dr Phil Kavanagh, of the University of Canberra and the University of South Australia. The scientists looked at something very specific when considering the responses from the young people, reports Tyla. They considered the behavioural activation system (BAS) within the body considering the reactions and responses of a person in love.

The BAS within the body can activate certain behaviours which are encouraged by reward and positive reinforcement. Publishing in the Behavioural Sciences journal, the scientists concluded that the brain changes when people are in love. When people are especially loved up, their thoughts become more focused on the person they are in love with.

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In a statement, Adam Bode said: "We actually know very little about the evolution of romantic love. It is thought that romantic love first emerged some five million years ago after we split from our ancestors, the great apes. We know the ancient Greeks philosophised about it a lot, recognising it both as an amazing as well as traumatic experience. The oldest poem ever to be recovered was a love poem dated to around 2000 [BCE]."

Dr Kavanagh said the hormone oxytocin could be a key factor in the changes seen as "waves" of the hormone circulating in our nervous system and bloodstream when interacting with loved ones. He said: "The way that loved ones take on special importance, however, is due to oxytocin combining with dopamine, a chemical that our brain releases during romantic love." He concluded that love activates "pathways in the brain associated with positive feelings."

The next stage of the study will see the scientists analyse how men and women approach love - as well as the four different types of romantic partners.

Mariam Khan