Study Reveals How Love Scrambles the Brain

Researchers find that oxytocin and dopamine combine to make loved ones the centre of our world.

Researchers from the Australian National University, University of Canberra and University of South Australia have conducted a study investigating the link between the human brain's behavioural activation system (BAS) and romantic love.
The study, which surveyed 1556 young adults who identified as being 'in love', found that our brains react differently when we are in love, making the object of our affections the centre of our lives.
The researchers found that the 'love hormone' oxytocin, which is released when we fall in love, combines with dopamine, a chemical that our brain releases during romantic love, to activate pathways in the brain associated with positive feelings.
The study suggests that romantic love first emerged some five million years ago after we split from our ancestors, the great apes.
The next stage of the research will investigate the differences between men and women in their approach to love, and a worldwide survey identifying four different types of romantic lovers.