5 Fascinating Facts That'll Change How You Feel About Love
Here's how your heart and love really work.
Oleksandr P | Pexels / AleksandarNakic | Getty Images Signature Love is one of the most mysterious things in the world. It's not something anyone can hold, but we know it's real. No one can quite put it into words, and there seem to be no rules when it comes to who we fall in love with. People, religious figures, poets, and even scientists, have tried to find an explanation for it. While there seems to be no rhyme or reason for love, here is what some scientists have found out about it.
In honor of such a wonderful feeling, EliteSingles put together some pretty interesting facts about the human heart and the strongest emotion of all, love. Here are a few heart and love-facts that may surprise you.
Here are 5 fascinating facts you need to know about love:
1. Scientists have compared love to a mental illness.
It’s true! The serotonin levels in the brain of people in love are so high that it makes people exhibit OCD behavior and the release of all that dopamine can make them feel like they’re high on cocaine. Why do you think it's called being "madly" in love? Because you really are "mad" when you're in that deep. Love is really a drug.
2. Long-term lovers' hearts beat in sync.
I know, I know, I swooned when I read that, too. Although scientists aren’t really sure why this is, they have also observed that in many cases the woman's heart will adjust itself to stay in time with the heart of her male partner.
3. Men usually say, "I love you," first.
I'm not sure who these men are, but according to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, on average, men tend to make their vocal declaration of love before women do. Seriously though, where are these men exactly?
4. People tend to fall for those who look like them.
It might be easy to scoff at the idea that Liberace had one of his lovers undergo surgery to look just like him, but it's not completely weird. Studies have shown that people are just naturally drawn to those who have similar coloring, face shape, hair, and even have similar shaped ears. I guess we're all a bit egotistic, even when it comes to love.
5. Holding your partner's hand can ease pain.
A study out of the University of California found that for all the grief love can cause, it's when lovers are holding hands that there is true relief from physical, and even sometimes, emotional pain, too. And I think we can all agree that holding hands is better than some over-the-counter painkiller any day.
Amanda Chatel is an essayist and intimacy health writer for Yourtango, Shape Magazine, Hello Giggles, Glamour, and Harper's Bazaar.