LOVE: A chemical reaction of the mind and the heart
I have always been of the opinion that there is no way you just see someone and fall for him or her on the first day but this gave me a shock for my heart. I was always friendly with the opposite sex while I was in class because I play alot back then in year one(1). We have all settled in for the semester.
Lectures had truly gone dip into the stipulated time assigned for the semester. We weren't expecting anymore student to resume anymore because we were of the notion that who ever have not resumed at this time has either forfeited the admission or deferred. So I virtually knew all the female folks as I was popular with them because of my jovial nature.
One awkward day when I wasn't in a good mood because my food went sour the previous night and I had little or no cash left. I got to school with a long face, nothing was interesting me while strolled down the hall to class. Getting there I sat separately from others. I scanned through the class hoping to find someone to chat with to lighten my mood, it was then I saw her...
Something clicked, as I walked close to her she radiated love... I could not tell what was peculiar about her but everything wasn't the same anymore...Things became brighter, and I felt like I have always known her for decades. I forgot all my worries as the only thing that mattered was to talk her, be with her..
This made me wonder if I have been struck by lightning of love. Could this be love at first sight? Is that shit even real or a myth? Is there any scientific proof of my feelings?
What Is Love?
The ancient Greeks called love “the madness of the gods.” Modern psychologists define it as it the strong desire for emotional union with another person. But what, actually, is love. It means so many different things to different people. Songwriters have described it, “Whenever you’re near, I hear a symphony.” Shakespeare said, “Love is blind and lovers cannot see.” Aristotle said, Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.
Brain science tells us it's a drive like thirst. It's a craving for a specific person.
Aristotle, defines love as to will the good of another.
Bertrand Russell describes love as a condition of absolute value, as opposed to relative value.
Philosopher Gottfried Leibniz said that love is to be delighted by the happiness of another.
Meher Baba stated that in love there is a feeling of unity and an active appreciation of the intrinsic worth of the object of love.
Biologist Jeremy Griffithdefines love as unconditional selflessness
Science persperctive of love at first sight
A number of studies carried out in recent years conclude that it is in fact physically possible due to the release of chemicals in the brain that affect the intellect and cognitive functions - producing a feeling of Euphoria.
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Professor Stephanie Ortigue of Syracuse University in the US carried out a study in October 2010 on the subject and published her findings in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. She found that the quick release of chemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin, adrenalin and vasopressin, some of which act in tandem, create a high that could be called falling in love.
"The findings beg the question, does the heart fall in love or the brain?" she says. "I would say the brain, but the heart is also related because the complex concept of love is formed by both bottom-up and top-down processes from the brain to the heart and vice versa. For instance, activation in some parts of the brain can generate stimulation of the heart and butterflies in the stomach. Symptoms we feel as a manifestation of the heart may sometimes be coming from the brain. These results confirm that feelings of love have a scientific basis."
Another study by C Neil Macrae, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth College in the UK, published in the November 2002 issue of Psychological Science, suggests that ovulation heightens a woman's response to the pheromone androstenol, typically found in males. The study also suggests increased response to the sight of strong male facial features, such as an angled chin or a large forehead, that emphasise characteristics such as strength, aggression or dominance, which are likely to appeal to women looking for masculine mates.
Females, he says, prefer faces with typically male characteristics during ovulation and those with feminine traits at other points of their menstrual cycle. Meanwhile, men's notions of what is attractive (such as ideal hip-to-waist ratio) remain relatively constant over time.
And it seems there may be some truth to the bow and arrow theory. Macrae's study also found that a direct gaze was more likely to stimulate a response in the opposite sex.
So it may be physically possible, but just because you fall in love instantly does not mean your relationship will last, according to Dr Salida Afridi, a clinical psychologist at the Human Relations Institute Dubai.
"I consider love to be more than just an initial attraction; it's about being invested in another person's emotional and spiritual growth," Afridi says. "There are deeper issues than just beauty and attraction at play. So while it's possible to fall for someone initially on a superficial level, you have to work to keep the relationship alive."
The first chemical comes from the brain that releases a neuro-transmitter chemical called dopamine. Dopamine leads to the heart beating three times faster than normal. This extra pounding of the heart causes more blood flow to certain parts of the body like the cheeks and is the reason why you get butterflies in your stomach. Since the blood is traveling to these specific parts of the body, it causes your hands to get cold and sometime a shiver sets in. When the body releases these special chemicals it is the answer to why you get the feel good, happy sensation.
This explained how i felt and i can really say i was inlovei later found out that the feeling was mutual...