What happens in the brain of a person in love

Love is a complex topic to describe and involves different areas of the brain. In biology, “romantic love” tends to refer to the period of intense feelings that often accompany the early stages of romantic relationships, according to the authors of a new study published in the journal Behavioral science. In their research, scientists found that this type of love significantly changes brain activity, with intense focus on the loved one. The latter becomes the main center of attention of the mind of the person he loves.

Love activates specific pathways in the brain

” We know the role oxytocin plays in romantic love waveswaves Who is this HormoneHormone They spread through our nervous system and bloodstream when we interact with our loved ones, Announce Professor Phil Kavanagh from the University of Canberra (Australia). However, if loved ones have special significance, it is because oxytocin unites with them DopamineDopamineIt is a chemical that our brains secrete during romantic love. In fact, love activates brain pathways associated with positive emotions. » More specifically, love stimulates the behavioral activation system in the brain.

The researchers believe they have developed a new method for assessing the psychobiological system (here, the sensitivity of the behavioral activation system toward a loved one) that can contribute to the expression of romantic love. The study included more than 1,500 young people who identified themselves as “in love” and focused on their behaviors and emotional reactions to their partners, as well as the amount of attention they paid to loved ones.