What Happens in the Brain When We Fall in Love?
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Love is a many splendored thing. When you are falling in love, it's as though a chemical storm has been unleashed in the brain. The brain's neuromodulatory system is rapidly pumping out large quantities of dopamine and noradrenaline. It's that chemical explosion that makes you feel excited and warm all over. Dopamine is a brain chemical associated with reward. It's the brain's way of adjusting to some good result that should be accentuated and remembered. In this case, dopamine gets released when I receive something wonderful from you — as I do in the association we call love — or, when I have the pleasure of giving you something. Love is a mutual giving and receiving of something wonderful.
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@kaberi As the relationship deepens, the pleasure that you associate with love makes you crave more. One of the wonderful things about dopamine is that it is initially only released at the time of the excitement, but then the brain is smart enough to release it in advance of the excitement — in anticipation of the hug, the kiss, or the presence of the beloved. You actually begin to feel warm before the moment of connection. That contributes to you craving it. It becomes an addiction. You want to see that person again — to connect again.