Falling In Love

The vast majority of people will experience falling in love at some point in their lives. Some of these experiences may end happily and other not quite so... however, have you ever wondered what it is exactly that makes us fall in love with a particular person? If so read on... here comes the science bit!

Scientists have discovered that there are three main stages that occur when we fall in love and at each stage there are different hormones involved. They have also discovered that events that take place in the brain when we are in love are similar to those that occur during mental illness. We may be attracted to someone as we subconsciously like their smell and who, in that way, are most like our parents. Science can actually also help to show whether a relationship will last.

The first stage of love is lust. This is driven by the hormones testosterone and oestrogen which in turn controls our sex drives. This initial stage is what makes you get out there looking for someone.

The next stage is attraction. This is the point where you may need less sleep, lose your appetite and prefer to spend the time daydreaming about a new love. A group of hormones known as monoamines are prevalent at this point. These include dopamine (also activated by drugs such as cocaine), serotonin (making your temporarily insane!) and Nor epinephrine (adrenalin) which makes you sweat and makes the heart race.

Stage three is attachment. This is what makes a relationship last and is necessary as obviously staging in stage two isn't really practical! There are two hormones here that are thought to play a part in social relationships. Oxytocin - this is released by the hypothalamus gland after childbirth and also by both the male and female after orgasm. It is thought that this helps to promote bonding between adults. Therefore the more sex a couple has the greater the bond will be. Vasopressin is the other hormone involved at this stage.