Welcome back to our class that we started last week, on what happens in the brain when you fall in love!

We left off a pending topic of love that lasts a long time.

We had left two questions particularly on the floor;

 

senior couple dancing together

 

  1. How is it that some people remain strongly in love decades after they have been together in marriage?
  2. What makes couples that have not even been together for two years, fall so quickly out of love?

 

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

 

I hope you are comfortable, wherever you might be reading this blog.

And ready for a discussion so interesting and fascinating!

 

Photo credit: Best Life

 

There is a wide range of scholarly material speaking about how long it takes for the emotions and angst within somebody in love to calm down.

Some say it takes two years for that to happen.

Others say it takes about a year while some even say it takes six months!

 

Photo credit: HuffPost

 

Some even say that the hormones we talked about in part 1 like cortisol and serotonin return to a “normal” level.

The passion remains burning, yes but the cravings for the one you love become less intense.

 

Photo credit: Toonpool

 

This is where brain scans have come in handy, when it comes to this topic.

Do you remember the two scans I shared, in part 1, of a brain that is in love or that has ever been in love?

It showed the same intensity of activity in dopamine-rich areas of the brains as found in the brains of couples who were newly in love!

 

What about those couples that have moved into what many call a “routine type of love”?

Is it possible for them to “re-ignite the spark” they once had?

Yes, it is possible!

The question is, “how can they do that?”

 

Photo credit: Bloomberg.com

 

Sexual reactivity can be a good way to start.

It “can increase oxytocin levels and activate the brain’s reward circuit, making couples desire each other more”, that is according to Professor Richard Schwartz.

Then also, engaging in activities you both enjoy as a couple could have the same effect as sex has on reigniting that spark!

 

Photo credit: Chicago Tribune

 

There you have it, with what happens in the brain when you fall in love.

I hope you have learned something!

See you in our next class.