By Amy Capetta
We all have been down this romantic road before…your mind is racing, your heart is pounding and it feels as if you’ve swallowed a handful of butterflies. And while you need a moment to catch your breath and calm your nerves, you’ve never felt more alive in your entire life.
It’s that feeling that couples in Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars are trying to get back in their relationships. After all, it’s not only life-changing – but body-changing!
Believe it or not, these sensations are not all in your head. Being around the one who makes your heart go pitter-patter can actually have a real effect on both your heart and brain, say s*xual wellness specialists at Loyola University Health System.
Here’s what is happening on the inside:
#1: Our body’s natural chemicals kick in
That nervous feeling in your stomach? It’s a perfectly natural feeling to have during the early stages of falling in love. In fact, researchers state that these sensations are caused by the release of feel-good chemicals that trigger these specific physical reactions. In other words, it’s a chemical reaction, which may explain why we feel chemistry with someone.
#2: Our hormones go into overdrive
While the happy chemicals are swirling around, your hormones switch into high gear—and this is when the real swooning takes place! The feeling of euphoria is caused by a hormone which helps regulate emotional responses called dopamine (which may also explain why you’re feeling dopey!). Simultaneously, adrenaline is surging throughout your body, which increases your heart rate, your pulse rate and blood pressure. And there’s one more hormone, named norepinephrine, which is not only stimulating extra blood flow to the brain (causing your brain to scramble), but is also making your heart beat uncontrollably. With all of this heart activity, it’s no wonder why someone special can take our breath away!
#3. Our brain gets a jolt
Yes, that feeling of having your head in the clouds and thinking non-stop about your new guy is actually being triggered by a physical reaction in your brain. Study experts have also discovered that falling in love can spark an area of the brain that is connected to pleasure. In fact, MRI scans have shown that blood flow will surge to this particular area (which also happens to be the same section associated with obsessive-compulsive behaviors!). While you may not need professional counseling, it does explain why you have lost the ability to concentrate on anything else—work, bills, news, friends, life—except for him!
#4: Our eyesight goes a little hazy (sort of!)
While being gaga about your beloved can be exciting and wonderful, it could also leave you…well, a little oblivious. And this reaction can be described in three words: Rose-colored glasses. As one doctor stated, “The phrase ‘love is blind’ is a valid notion because we tend to idealize our partner and see only things that we want to see in the early stages of the relationship.” He added that our temporary blindness is the reason why our closest friends can see potential red flags (i.e. he’s still living with his soon-to-be ex-wife, his former girlfriend has a restraining order against him, he’s 35 and still trying to “find himself”) when all we can see is a bright sign above his head that says Mr. Wonderful.
#5. Our emotions take us through three stages
While having the feeling of being in LaLa Land can be amazing, the wooziness, the obsession and the near cardiac arrests won’t last forever. In fact, there are three stages in love, the first two—lust and attraction—being the more intoxicating. But it’s during the final stage, attachment, when your appetite returns, the sweating subsides and you can go a few minutes without mentioning his name in a conversation.
But don’t worry—the endorphins and a couple of other hormones (vasopressin and oxytocin) are still alive and well. However, instead of making you loopy and light-headed, they have the role of, as one expert put it, “creating an overall sense of well-being and security that is conducive to a lasting relationship.”
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Friday, August 8th 2014 at 2:25PM
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