The brain seals the deal by releasing oxytocin, often called “the love hormone.” It's a neuropeptide produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland during times of intimacy, like hugging, breastfeeding and orgasm.
High levels of dopamine and a related hormone, norepinephrine, are released during attraction. These chemicals make us giddy, energetic, and euphoric, even leading to decreased appetite and insomnia – which means you actually can be so “in love” that you can't eat and can't sleep.
Researchers have scanned the brains of people who are madly in love and found a heavy surge of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain's reward system that helps people feel pleasure. Dopamine, along with other chemicals, gives us that energy, focus, and obsession we feel when we're wild about someone.
Love can increase dopamine levels since it is part of the brain's reward pathway. Romantic love causes the release of the love hormone dopamine, as well as oxytocin.
These feelings are caused by three chemicals: norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. Scientists often compare this stage to addiction as it activates the brain's reward center and has powerful effects on our behavior and emotions.
Physical attraction, sexual compatibility, empathy, and emotional connection are key to making a man fall in love with a woman.
Most of the studies found higher levels of oxytocin during the orgasm or ejaculation. Given the sexual arousal evoked by self-stimulation in which sexual fantasies play an important role, it should be possible to postulate for a role of the oxytocin in sexual desire.
However, recent studies have begun to investigate oxytocin's role in various behaviors, including orgasm, social recognition, bonding, and maternal behavior. For this reason, it is now sometimes referred to as the “love hormone” and many such names described earlier.
Being love-struck also releases high levels of dopamine, a chemical that “gets the reward system going,” said Olds. Dopamine activates the reward circuit, helping to make love a pleasurable experience similar to the euphoria associated with use of cocaine or alcohol.
According to Hani Henry, chair and associate professor of psychology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology and Egyptology at AUC, Robert Sternberg's psychological theory covers the most common reasons why we fall in love, namely: intimacy, passion and commitment.
Chemistry is born of several different factors like physical attraction, mental stimulation, shared values and interests.
Researchers concluded that falling in love is much like the sensation of feeling addicted to drugs with the release of euphoria, including brain chemicals like dopamine, oxytocin, adrenaline, and vasopressin.
Your hypothalamus makes oxytocin, but your posterior pituitary gland stores and releases it into your bloodstream. Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, muscles and other tissues.
Love is both a matter of choice and a strong feeling. While feelings can change over time, love is more stable. Even if you don't feel the same way you felt about someone at the beginning of a relationship, you can choose to stay with them even in the more difficult or boring times.
Oxytocin triggers feelings of love and protection, which naturally occurs when parents and children look into one another's eyes or when they embrace. Other relationship-enhancing effects also include empathy, trust, and the processing of bonding cues.
A man who's falling in love tends to show his desire for greater closeness and intimacy in many different ways. He will likely prioritize spending time with you and put in real effort to make you happy. He may show you his softer side, while also serving as a source of strength and comfort when you need it most.
Passionate love feels like instant attraction with a bit of nervousness. It's the "feeling of butterflies in your stomach,"Lewandowski says. "It's an intense feeling of joy, that can also feel a bit unsure because it feels so strong."
02/6Feeling 'high' in love
As opposed to what you're thinking right now, men actually feel very elevated and in a state of bliss when they are with their partners. The brain produces a high level of a chemical called phenylethylamine (PEA) that makes people feel falling in love addictive and high.
Though it may feel like love strikes us in the heart, it is understood that the release of sex hormones estrogen and testosterone is what drives our lustfulness arousal (1). Testosterone plays a role in initiating sexual activities and pursuing sexual desire and behaviour in both men and women (2).
While there is no definite age at which male ejaculation ceases, it has been suggested that it may happen when a man reaches his late 40s or early 50s. It is important to note, however, that this is not a universal rule and some men may continue to ejaculate at a later age.
Its best to begin with light small touches on the arms and hands, to make the oxytocin effect kick in. Take her hand while taking to her (never ask for it, just take it), play thumb wrestling or pretend to read her palm or just play footsies under the table.
Men have been shown to be particularly sensitive to physical contact, so touch likely boosted their oxytocin levels considerably, Melton says. “Justifying small ways to make any activity one where we're touching our partner, whether that's touching of the arm or around the shoulder, [could be useful],” Melton says.
These include beauty, your dressing sense, scent, behavior, attitude, etc. Also, what makes a woman great to a man differs from man to man. However, you are special if he finds it challenging to find your qualities in other women. If you make your man feel loved, valued, and respected, it will make you special.
Men love women who are thoughtful, caring, loving, and kind. A woman who does little things for her man for no other reason other than that she loves him. A woman who makes him smile back whenever she smiles at him. A woman who radiates love and warmth from her heart.