What is triggered in your brain when you fall in love?
You meet the right person and the healthiest chemical storm ever is unleashed in the brain. A wave of well-being and energy that makes you look at the world with optimistic eyes.
What does falling in love do to your mind?
Those who have been there know: in the initial stage of falling in love, one lives in another dimension. It is as if the heart and mind are muffled, isolated from the rest of the world.
"There is a feeling of 'empty head,' one is constantly thinking about him or her. And the desire to always be together prevails over any commitment, " says Professor Fabrizio Quattrini, psychosexologist, president of the Italian Institute of Scientific Sexology in Rome and professor at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of L'Aquila.
In those days and months of strong heartbeat, one sees reality with different eyes. All the fault, indeed merit, of the chemical storm that happens to the body. "People in love are more helpful, they look at life more positively, they feel more energetic, " the professor continues. But unknowingly they deceive and mislead themselves. "That's right: they avoid as much as possible to see in the other the things that are wrong and to reveal their own flaws."
Read also: What happens to your body when you fall in love
It is mostly men who paint themselves as different from reality. According to research by psychologist Bella DePaulo of the University of Virginia, who has studied the pattern of little lies when in love, males tend to pass themselves off as better than they are. Women, on the other hand, lie mostly to make their partners feel better. "Having one's eyes 'lined' by this kind of love blindness prompts one to do totally new things, almost as if one changes character.
A rather cold man can become sweeter, an unempathetic woman can turn into a very good listener," Quattrini says. As with all "drugs," we repeat, the effects of falling in love are destined to wear off: "When, after a year at most, hormone levels return to what they used to be, the intoxication comes to an end.
How is true love formed?
At this point the authentic knowledge of the other person begins, which can finally turn into true love," Professor Quattrini continues. "It is at this moment, however, that the first major crisis can arise because one sees the partner as he or she really is. In short, falling in love is like a good hors d'oeuvre: you taste it, stimulate your senses, marvel at its goodness and begin to fantasize about the wonders of the next courses. And when the bill comes at the end of the emotional meal, you come back to reality. And there you decide whether to continue together."
What is the purpose of meeting minutes?
The first look is the starting point for what will be a truly magnificent obsession. The thought of him or her becomes installed in the mind. And here begins the projection of our dreams: we are already certain that the other or the other is perfect and suitable for us.
After 5 months, passion is at its peak: you are strong and fearless
Time begins to pass too quickly in the company of our partner and is not shared with others. We feel more full of mental energy, every problem becomes smaller and more manageable, we are not afraid of anything.
After one year: love is born
This is the most delicate moment; the couple is ready to move on to the next stage: love. However, some people confuse the end of the euphoria with the end of the feeling. But this is not necessarily the case.
