When we’re in love, our brain looks like it’s on drugs

Science has told us many things over the years, from explaining the evolutionary benefit of love, to showing us the chemical and biological effects on our brain and body when we are in love, but with all of that, the mystery and magic of love endures.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the folks at AsapSCIENCE have put together a video on the science of love. Check it out.

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One of the surprising aspects of love — which also explains why we are so addicted to it (thank you, Robert Palmer) — is that it has the same effect on the brain as a dose of cocaine. Being in love actually lowers the threshold levels of the pleasure centres of our brain, so that someone in love finds it much easier to get pleasure from anything, while at the same time it causes pain receptors to fire less so we don't experience pain or irritation as much.

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This quite effectively changes our perception of reality, and makes the whole world a better place.

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