The Science Behind Love: Phases of Love

For decades, people have romanticized the concept of love and claimed that it starts from the heart.  You think you have found the exceptional person and have begun to fall in love with that special person with the idea of love itself. However, scientists studying the science of love know that, contrary to common belief, it comes from our brains. Love does not exist at first sight—not at all.

Falling in love takes time; it's a series of stages.

You have felt the feeling in your chest when you are attracted to someone that your heart beats very fast and in a way that is not regular. A few physiological responses that may follow this feeling are sweating, wet hands and warm cheeks, butterflies in the stomach, and the occasional dumb behaviour and choice of words that appear out of nowhere when we come across the person of our affection. Falling in love is one of the crazy and most amazing feelings a human can experience.

While everyone is unique in experiencing this phase, certain common thoughts and feelings may assist individuals in recognizing them when they experiencing them. You might be experiencing one of the visible symptoms, such as being unable to think about anybody or anything other than that person, or you could be experiencing symptoms of daydreaming or loss of appetite.

According to research, all of these crazy, out-of-control feelings and physical reactions are caused by the brain. These chemicals are released as a consequence of attraction and desire. According to experts, three chemical messengers that transmit messages across nerve cells play an important role during the early phases of love.

The biology behind romantic love is divided into these three different categories:

 

Desire – Testosterone and Oestrogen

Attraction – Nor-epinephrine, Dopamine and Serotonin

Attachment – Oxytocin and Vasopressin

Each stage of love is distinct by its own set of neurotransmitters and the production of certain hormones. 

 Initial Stage Desire

Lust or Desire is caused by the hormones testosterone and oestrogen. Desire, the first stage of romantic love, is defined as having a strong sexual desire for someone; hence, desire is motivated by a need for sexual pleasure. This is based on an evolutionary impulse to reproduce that all living organisms share. We may pass on our genes through reproduction, thus helping in the survival of our species. The hypothalamus in your brain plays a role in desire because it promotes the formation of the sex hormones oestrogen and testosterone. They have a role in the physiology of both men's and women's sexuality. The next step of love is attraction, which leads to desire of connection.

Second Stage Attraction

Dopamine, Epinephrine also known as adrenaline, and Serotonin are involved in attraction. (Checmical Romance)

It is considered a distinct phase of love. Attraction is integrally related to desire. However, one can be linked to the other and vice versa, they can also be impossible to differentiate from one another. In other words, one may happen without the other. Attraction is associated with the brain’s ‘reward' pathway, which influences human behaviour.

Couples are madly attracted to each other and overtaken with their sentiments during this attraction phase. People usually can't think about anything else and neglect to eat and sleep properly. During this period, key neurotransmitters come into action.

 

Dopamine when we are with our beloved, we feel as though we have won an award since it is created in our brain's reward area.

Nor epinephrine, often known as adrenaline, helps us to feel our love by getting our hearts racing and making us flush and sweat around our beloved.

Serotonin is the final hormone involved in attraction. This hormone influences social behaviour, mood, memory, hunger, metabolism, and intimacy.

 

Surprisingly, serotonin levels are expected to begin to fall during the attraction phase. Cortisol levels rise during the early phases of falling in love, helping our bodies to deal with the physiologically perceived ‘stressful scenario' that loving love implies. Our hearts race, hands sweat, cheeks flush, and we are overtaken with anxiety and infatuation as hormones flow to the brain's reward center.

The fear and anxiety that accompany falling in love are linked to our body's natural 'flight or fight' response which is why your stomach does somersault when you see the person you are attracted to. 

 

As previously said, includes the same chemicals. As a result, cortisol levels increase while serotonin levels decrease. The cortisol hormone encourages the formation of social contact with your special someone.

 

Third Stage Attachment

Attachment follows the strong feelings of desire and the rush of attraction. The attachment phase encourages couples to develop ties and feel connected to one another. It is the point at which people decide to rely on their relationships. Two hormones are in action here: 

 

Oxytocin: is known as the 'cuddle hormone' because it is released when we are touched, establish eye contact, or feel close to someone.

Vasopressin: This little hormone assists us to experience a long-term association and relationship with someone. Vasopressin links to pair bonding and mate guarding.

These two hormones explain why euphoric love diminishes as an attachment and long-term love grow after commitment.

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