Falling in love causes body to release flood of feel-good chemicals (hormones) that trigger specific physical reactions. These chemicals are responsible for making our cheeks flush, our palms sweat and our hearts race." Levels of these substances, which include dopamine, adrenaline and norepinephrine, increase when two people fall in love.
Dopamine (A Neurotransmitter) creates feelings of euphoria while adrenaline and norepinephrine are responsible for the pitter-patter of the heart, restlessness and overall preoccupation that go along with experiencing love. MRI scans indicate that love lights up the pleasure center of the brain. When we fall in love, blood flow increases in this area, which is the same part of the brain implicated in obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
"Love lowers serotonin levels, which is common in people with obsessive-compulsive disorders. The phrase 'love is blind' is a valid notion because we tend to idealize our partner and see only things that we want to see in the early stages of the relationship. Outsiders may have a much more objective and rational perspective on the partnership than the two people involved do.
