Everyone knows that falling in love = a major emotional roller-coaster.
But if you really want to get in tune with your feelings, it’s best to listen to your body.
WATCH: The moment Stefan and Elena fell in love on The Vampire Diaries
While your brain is busy thinking about your partner, your body is busy having crazy chemical reactions.
Yep, it’s science. Here are the sure-fire signs you’re falling in luuurve…
1. You get tongue-tied
If your heart is pounding a million times a minute, you’re feeling flustered or suffering word vomit whenever they’re nearby, your body’s telling you that you’re falling. Hard.
Ok, it might be mortifying but it’s all because of hormones… Not only does your adrenaline go up when they’re around but a spike in a hormone called norepinephrine makes you feel awks, your heart beat faster and causes you to fumble your words.
2. Heart beats
Even though pounding hearts can be embarrassing, it also causes the butterflies. When your heart rate speeds up, the blood is diverted away from your non-vital organs like your stomach so you get the flutters in your tummy.
Soooo… that explains everything.
3. Love at first, uhhh, smell?
You know you’ve fallen for them when you find their scent incredible.
Pheromones are chemical messengers (smells) that play a part in human attraction.
If you’re stealing their hoodies and love the whiff, it’s safe to say you’re digging them big time.
4. You’re obsessed.com.au
You’re not going mad, you’re just feelin’ all those feels. When you fall in love, levels of the hormone serotonin (which has a calming affect) appear to drop.
Serotonin levels also drop in people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which might explain why you can’t stop thinking about them.
But don’t worry, after about a year, your levels of serotonin should be back to normal so no more obsession. Just like, a normal amount of being madly in love…
5. Everything tastes sweeter
Well, according to a study by the American Psychological Association it does. They got students to write about love then got them to sample various food and drinks. Regardless of what they tasted, they said it had a sweet flavour!
Weird, yes, but life is sweeter when you’re in love!
6. You’re stressed as hell
Yep, you read that correctly. Not a nice way to tell us we’re in love, thanks bod!
But it’s all due to cortisol levels going up. It’s a hormone that’s also released in response to stress.
So yeah, falling in love can be a very stressful time. But…
7. It also makes you dayummmm happy
You can thank a neurotransmitter called dopamine for that. When you’re with your parenter, dopamine is released making you feel euphoric.
It’s also responsible for making love feel addictive. Okay, so this one’s pretty obvious.
8. Dilated pupils
Ever noticed your eyes get bigger when you gaze into the eyes of the one you love? It’s true when you kiss too! The autonomic nervous system responds to the excitement by making our pupils bigger, so pucker up!
But hey, it’s also #fact that when you look at anything you love, your eyes dilate so like… same goes when you’re staring at chicken McNuggets…
9. You feel less pain
Well that’s a bloody bonus. According to a study from Stanford University School of Medicine, love activates the same neural receptors in the brain as painkillers! Wild.
10. Pitch perfect
When you speak to your crush, it’ll be in a higher pitch, according to a study published in the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology
Adorbs.
11. You’re forgetful
When you’re smitten with someone, your brain releases oxytocin (the love hormone), which can impair memory.
So that’s why you forgot the due date of that assignment, duh. Oxytocin can be released through hugging and it makes you feel more connected to your partner. Call it lovesickness, it’s a real thing!
Have a question for Dolly Doctor? Drop us an email – dollydoctor@aremedia.com.au
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