Events occurring in the brain when we are in love have similarities with mental illness.

We like the look and smell of people who are most like our parents.

3 stages of love:
читать дальше1.Lust
Driven by estrogen and testosterone. People want sex, that is.
2. Attraction
The stage where people actually get love-sick... Lose of appetite, insomnia...
In the attraction stage, a group of neuro-transmitters called 'monoamines' play an important role:

* Dopamine - Also activated by cocaine and nicotine.
* Norepinephrine - Otherwise known as adrenalin. Starts us sweating and gets the heart racing.
* Serotonin - One of love's most important chemicals and one that may actually send us temporarily insane.

3.Attachment
The bond that keeps couples together, the longer lasting commitment.
Important in this stage are two hormones released by the nervous system, which are thought to play a role in social attachments:

* Oxytocin - This is released by the hypothalamus gland during child birth and also helps the breast express milk. It helps cement the strong bond between mother and child. It is also released by both sexes during orgasm and it is thought that it promotes bonding when adults are intimate. The theory goes that the more sex a couple has, the deeper their bond becomes
* Vasopressin - Another important chemical in the long-term commitment stage. It is an important controller of the kidney and its role in long-term relationships was discovered when scientists looked at the prairie vole


Falling in love seems to have a similar effect on the brain as using cocaine. It's so pleasurable it's almost like an addiction