All of us know what love is and yet there is no common interpretation of what it feels like. For some of us it's suffering while for others it’s a form of friendship. Some associate it with their destiny while some believe that we don’t need to find love, it will find us. With so many definitions and varied experiences, it’s difficult to figure out the truth about love. And yet, it’s such an irresistible feeling that you can’t help but think about it.
No matter how much you try, you can’t simply solve this puzzle of love and relationships without feeling overwhelmed. We hear so many things like people falling in love at first sight or that love is blind, and so on. However, it’s not until we experience such emotions ourselves that we start believing in them.
So, if you are also trying to figure out what love feels like and wish to know some interesting details, here are 20 psychological facts about love that will blow your mind.
1. Looking into each other's eyes can make strangers fall in love
You will find the Science behind falling in love to be quite intriguing once you dive into the details. Scientists say that merely staring into another person’s eyes can make you fall for them. This conclusion is based on an experiment in which some strangers of opposite sex were put in a room and were asked to talk to each other. Many of them felt a deep connection just by staring at each other.
2. Monogamous relationships exist among animals
It’s not just human couples who believe in the concept of being together forever. Even animals choose a single mate for their entire life and enjoy a monogamous relationship. Many living beings like swans, black vultures, wolves, and even termites flaunt their monogamous relationships in the animal kingdom.
3. Falling in love can decrease your appetite
You must have heard about people losing the sense of time in love. They may not feel hungry or even enjoy a good amount of sleep when they experience love. This is not just a belief, it’s a fact. When you fall in love, your body releases high levels of dopamine and norepinephrine which can make you feel giddy. As a result, you experience insomnia and reduced appetite.
4. Love is a pain reliever
Research suggests that love can help relieve your physical pain. When you cuddle with your partner, hold hands, or even look at their picture, the feeling of love will alleviate your fear and stress. You will experience more happiness and peace when your loving partner is near you. Even the thought of being with them will make you forget your worries to a considerable extent.
5. Heartbreak causes physical pain
When people say they got their heart broken in love, it’s not simply a metaphor for being sad. It’s a real sensation in your body and not just a feeling in your head. This is called the broken heart syndrome, also known as "takotsubo cardiomyopathy". Sometimes it can be mistaken as a heart attack. As per the Harvard Women’s Health Watch, this syndrome occurs when the heart’s main pumping chamber is weakened due to emotional or physical stress.
6. Falling in love is similar to getting high
When you fall in love, you have a similar feeling to that of being high on cocaine. As per a study from the Kinsey Institute, it was found that the brain of someone high on drugs was similar to the brain of a person experiencing love. People in the early stages of their relationship exhibit many symptoms of addiction like cravings, euphoria, emotional and physical dependency, etc.
7. Couples’ heartbeats synchronize in love
When two people who are in love look at each other, their heart rates are likely to be synchronized. If you love someone, you simply have to look into their eyes for 3 minutes and your respective heartbeats will be in sync.
8. You can decide whether you like someone or not within 4 minutes
Psychology suggests that a person decides whether they like someone or not within 4 minutes of meeting them. It takes an average person somewhere between 90 seconds and 4 minutes to confirm if they like someone strongly. Besides, it has little to do with what the other person is saying and more about their body language, their voice speed, and tone.
9. Couples who are too similar or too different may not last long
Even though opposites may attract each other, when it comes to long-term relationships, the key is to find a balance between differences and similarities. In other words, if you are too different or too similar to your partner, there are less chances of you being together forever. However, if you share some similarities as well as differences with your partner, the relationship will be smoother and more successful.
10. A crush lasts 4 months
Psychology says that a crush lasts not more than 4 months. So, if you don’t know whether you have a crush on someone or love them, just observe the duration. If the same feeling persists after 4 months, it’s love and not just a crush. In that case, move beyond the casual flirting and prepare yourself to confess your feelings before it’s too late.
11. Love can calm your body and mind
Falling in love not just makes you grow as a person but it also has a calming effect on your body and mind. The act of falling in love with someone can raise the levels of nerve growth in your body for up to a year. The nerve growth factor is mainly responsible for the growth, maintenance, and survival of target neurons.
12. Being dumped can lead to frustration attraction
Have you ever stopped your best friend from drunk calling their ex? Or have you ever felt more attracted to someone you can’t be with? This is because your brain feels frustration reaction. As per this, when you get dumped by someone, you tend to love and care for that person even more. Well, we all know at least one person with this condition but finally we know the term for it.
13. The feeling of having butterflies in your stomach is real
When people say they are feeling butterflies in their stomach by looking at their partner, it’s real. This is a result of the adrenaline rush that occurs in their body. Usually, the human body experiences this fluttering sensation in a fight or flight situation.
14. Men fall in love faster than women
As per Science, men fall in love quicker than women do. While women take 15 days to fall for someone, men take only 8 seconds for the same. Well, that’s surely a mind-blowing fact about love, isn’t it?
15. Women’s tears can reduce arousal in men
We often hear about women using their tears as weapon against men. While this can be considered as a sexist idea, there’s some truth to it. When a woman sheds tears in front of a man; it can reduce the testosterone levels and the feeling of arousal in him. So, in a way, knowingly or unknowingly, women can affect men and their behavior.
16. Men are more likely to fall for women who resemble their mother
Men usually find those women very attractive whose bone structure resemble that of their mother. This concept was coined by researchers and is termed as “sexual imprinting”.
17. Women are less likely to fall for men having belly fat
While it may seem like an obvious thing, there is some Science behind this fact. Women are less likely to get attracted to men with bellies because body fat indicates low levels of testosterone in men which may also result in low fertility.
18. Dangerous situations can make people fall for each other
It’s a psychological fact that you are more likely to fall for someone when you meet them in a dangerous situation as compared to a mundane setup. For example, if you meet someone at a public place, you may not feel attracted towards them. But if you meet the same person during trekking, there are more chances of developing the feeling of love.
19. Some people can’t feel love
Do you ever come across people who don’t believe in love or claim that they have never fallen in love with anyone? Well, chances are they might be true. As per Science, there is a disease called hypopituitarism that doesn’t allow the patient to feel the rapture of love. How weird is that!
20. Men and women feel love differently
Apart from various differences between men and women, a major one is that both feel love differently. When a man falls in love, he finds emotional connection with his partner by talking to them by looking deep into their eyes. On the other hand, when a woman falls in love, she tends to look away from her partner more due to shyness.