Love makes the world go round—and science is there to back this up. Here we give you the lowdown on love facts that are fun to know and share.
“Love is a many splendored thing.” “Love knows reasons that Reason knows nothing of.”
These are just two of the countless quotes about how wonderful,
inexplicable, and out-of-the-ordinary love is. In fact, if you have ever
been in love, you know that love, in all its beauty and glory, can
often be both mysterious and confusing.
Thank heavens for science, though. Yes, science.
Not many people realize this, but apparently a lot about love can be
easily explained by science. Science, technology, and decades of
research have helped us somehow understand the many facets of “this
thing called love.”
23 really interesting facts about love
Below, we take a look at some of the most interesting facts about
love to show you that, yes, those butterflies in your stomach and that
heartbreak you feel are not only real—but backed by science. So read on
and enjoy!
#1 There is forever. Well, not exactly. But we all
want to believe in a forever with the love of our life, right? To give
you some relief, monogamous relationships are possible and we are not
all “animals.” Even animals, themselves, can stick to one partner, and
mate only with one another for life. So, if you’re having a hard time
landing “the one,” maybe you should find yourself a swan.
#2 Beating as one. Couples who are in love and in a romantic relationship are found
to synchronize their heart rates *or, in science speak: co-regulate
their physiologies* after they gaze into each other’s eyes for three
minutes.
#3 Love is a drug. Falling in love can give you a high like you are on cocaine, a study
says. This is because both can trigger the same feeling of euphoria to
the brain. In fact, both love and cocaine stimulate 12 areas of the
brain at the same time, releasing chemicals such as adrenaline,
oxytocin, and dopamine.
#4 Cuddles, anyone? There is, in fact, a cuddle
hormone called oxytocin that is released when you cuddle with your loved
ones. This hormone is produced in the brain, ovaries, and testicles,
and is involved in bonding two people together, such as mother and
child, or you and your partner.
#5 Cuddles are also great painkillers. The oxytocin
that is released in the body is found to significantly reduce the pain
caused by headaches. So if you want to make love to your partner, but he
tells you he has a headache, cuddle first, and the headache might go
away in time for you to do the deed. Better yet, instead of pain
medicine, give your lover a dose of some cuddling.
#6 Speaking of pain… Another fun fact
about the power of love is that even by just looking at a picture of
your loved one, your pain will decrease significantly. So, if you want
to feel better, be sure to have a picture of your special someone by
your bedside.
#7 And another thing: If you are lucky enough to
have your loved one beside you while you’re in pain, be sure to hold
his/her hand. Holding your loved one’s hand, like cuddling, can be so
soothing that it can also relieve stress and pain.
#8 Achy, breaky heart. Surprisingly, that image of a
heart with a zigzagging line down the middle, the ever-popular symbol
for heartbreak, can be proven by science.
Heartbreak is real. Deeply negative emotional triggers such as a
breakup, a betrayal, or the loss of a loved one can give you strong
chest pain and shortness of breath called Broken Heart Syndrome.
Love is a powerful feeling indeed
#9 Love is obsession. Someone in love often exhibits
strange, out-of-character behavior that is also associated with someone
who has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. If you are in the early, budding
stage of love, you will have lower serotonin levels associated with happiness, while having higher levels of cortisol, which is associated with stress.
#10 Love is addiction. Studies
show that looking at photos of your loved ones can trigger the caudate,
the region of the brain responsible for cravings. So when you see your
significant other’s photos on Instagram and you start to miss him/her,
that’s actually the caudate doing its job.
#11 Same looks? A handful of research
has identified a pattern showing that people with the same level of
attractiveness end up together. This doesn’t mean that if you look and
dress the same as your partner that you will marry each other *though
some couples do begin to look like each other over time*. This
only means that if you have the same perceived social desirability as
your partner, you end up considering each other a match over other
people.
#12 Opposites DO attract. Research
has shown that couples who always agree aren’t really that romantically
compatible. Couples who are not as close as they could be end up being
happier in a relationship, because they have more things to learn from
each other. So if you’re a cat person and your partner isn’t, that’s
your cue.
#13 Face or body? Ah, the age-old question. Well, it turns out
that if you are looking for a long-term relationship, you are more
likely to look for someone who has an attractive face. However, if you
are looking for someone with an attractive body, you are more likely
just in it for the night.
#14 Those butterflies are real. Science
was able to prove that those butterflies you feel when you see your
crush or the love of your life are real. It’s not actual butterflies,
though. What you feel in your tummy is actually adrenaline, which floods
your body *thanks to evolution* due to your innate fight-or-flight
response.
#15 Love is good for your memory. So, your partner
forgot your anniversary again? Don’t sweat it and cut each other some
slack. In fact, give him/her a year. It’s been proven that falling in
love calms both body and mind. It also increases the nerve growth factor
for over a year, helping restore your nervous system *and those brain
cells*, thereby improving memory.
The science behind love and attraction
#16 A lover’s dozen. There is actually a magic number for finding your one true love: 12. Mathematical theory
actually tells us that we should date a dozen people before choosing a
long-term partner. This provides us with the best chance to find our
best match.
#17 Familiarity doesn’t breed contempt. Actually, it
breeds romance. You are more likely to fall for someone you see on a
daily basis, such as an officemate, because one of the biggest
predictors of love is at work: proximity.
#18 Online dating is a go. Forget hooking up at a
bar—go online instead. 23% of couples who met via social dating sites
end up marrying each other. But don’t tell that to the founder of
Match.com, who lost his girlfriend to someone she met on—where else—Match.com. Talk about irony.
#19 She got it from your momma. If you’re a guy,
it’s most likely that you are more attracted to women who possess a bone
structure that is similar to your mom’s. This is because of what
researchers call “sexual imprinting.”
#20 Dangerous encounters. People are more likely to
fall in love if they find each other in a dangerous situation than if
they are in an everyday, mundane setting. So if you’re looking for that
special someone, you’d better go skydiving or white-water rafting.
#21 Eye to eye. A study
has shown how eye contact can make people fall in love. In an
experiment, people of the opposite sex were made to talk about intimate
details with each other for 90 minutes, and then stare into each other’s
eyes without talking. Many found deep attraction and two even got
married later.
#22 Chin up. People with high self-esteem have proven to be more successful in their relationships. So love yourself!
#23 Humor trumps looks. Women associate sense of
humor with intelligence and honesty. This is why most women are
attracted to men with a strong sense of humor. Keep those jokes coming!
Science has managed to whip up a pretty cool explanation for all
things love: why we fall in love, how our body reacts to love, how love
makes everything better, and how heartbreak really does hurt. Despite
these clear explanations, however, love continues to awe and inspire
even the most scientifically-minded among us. So…what’s not to love
about love?
What we know for sure is that once love takes over, there’s no
stopping it. Love is, inexplicably, one of the most powerful motivations
in the world—and if you’ve found the love of your life, who can
demonstrate the facts above, know that you are extremely fortunate.
The more we know about why and how we love, the more
mysterious and beautiful love becomes. However, it’s always fun to know a
few fun facts about love—if only to use as an opening line to get a
girl interested or just to break the ice. So spread the love…and the
love facts!
