Fascinating Facts About Love
Historically, sweat has been an active ingredient in perfume
And love potions.
In Bali, men believed a
The woman would fall in love if her suitor fed her a certain kind of leaf incised
with the image of a god who sported a very large penis.
The Mexican chief Montezuma considered chocolate a “love
Drug” and drank 50 cups of chocolate a day before visiting his harem of 600
Women.
Scientists suggest that most people will fall in love
Approximately seven times before marriage. He Some individuals who claim never to have felt romantic love
Suffer from hypopituitarism, a rare disease that doesn’t allow a person to feel
The rapture of love.
Getting dumped often leads to “frustration attraction,”
Which causes an individual to love the one who dumped him or her even more. Off
Love is derived from the Sanskrit lubh, which means desire
The term “love” is from the Sanskrit lubhyati, meaning “desire.
“I “Love” in the sense of “no score” in tennis dates to 1792
And means “playing for love” or, in other words, playing for nothing. I Other
Scholars claim that "love" as a tennis score is a corruption of the
French word for egg, "L'oeuf," because of the egg's resemblance to a
Zero.
Engagement rings are often worn on the fourth finger of the
Left hand because the ancient Greeks maintained that that finger contains the Vienna amoris, or the
“Vein of love,” that runs straight to the heart. The first recorded wedding
The rings appear in ancient Egypt,
with the circle representing eternity as well as powerful sun and moon deities.
Seminal fluid can potentially contribute to romantic love.
Reports suggest that the liquid that surrounds the sperm contains dopamine
(“The pleasure chemical”) and nor epinephrine as well as tyrosine, an amino acid
In the brain needs to manufacture dopamine.
The enduring symbol of love, Cupid (or Eros) is said to have
Calm from Chaos (“The Yawning Void”) and represents the primitive forces of
Love and desire.
The word “lesbian” is derived from the Greek island Lesbos, where the poetess Sappho composed her famous
Poems for her famous female lovers.
Roses are a traditional symbol of love and, depending on
Their color, can suggest different nuances of love. N For example, red roses
Indicate passion and true love. Light pink suggests desire, passion, and
Energy; dark pink suggests gratitude. Yellow roses can mean friendship or
Jealousy. A lavender or thornless rose can mean love at first sight. White
Roses mean virtue or devotion. Some roses even combine colors to create more
Complicated meanings.
European males subconsciously seek out women whose waist circumference
Is about 70% of their hips. Beauty icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Venus de Milo,
And even Twiggy had a waist ratio of exactly 70%. Me When a person falls in love, the ventral tegmental area in
The brain floods the caudate nucleus with dopamine. The caudate then signals
For more dopamine; the more dopamine, the higher a person feels. The same
The system becomes activated when someone takes cocaine.
When someone looks at a new love, the neural circuits that
Are usually associated with social judgment are suppressed.
The apple has historically been the ultimate symbol of love
And sexual desire Since ancient Greece, the apple has been a symbol
of love. The Celts believed that the apple represented love because it lasted
So long after being picked.
A study of college students who had just been rejected by
Their sweethearts showed they had strong activity in the brain associated with
The insular cortex, the part of the brain that experiences physical pain.
Antidepressants may compromise romantic love because they
Enhance serotonin levels. Higher serotonin levels blunt emotions and inhibit
Obsessive thoughts about the lover, both crucial components of love.
A four-leaf clover is often considered good luck, but it is
Also part of an Irish love ritual. In some parts of Ireland, if a woman eats a
Four-leaf clover while thinking about a man, supposedly he will fall in love
with her.
Some psychologists argue that we fall in love with someone
Who is similar to the parent with whom we have unresolved childhood issues,
Unaware we are seeking to resolve this childhood relationship in adulthood.
Studies show that if a man meets a woman in a dangerous
Situation (and vice versa), such as on a trembling bridge, he is more likely to
Fall in love with her than if he met her in a more mundane setting, such as in
An office.
Mystery or “the chase” is often a critical element
Romantic love. Sometimes called the “Romeo and Juliet effect,” a situation with
Challenges or obstructions are likely to intensify one’s passion for a loved one.
Scientists suggest that the advent of cooking led to
Healthier food which, in turn, led to bigger brains and an increased capacity
To woo potential lovers with new forms of linguistic and artistic seductive
Flairs.
Men and women are subconsciously attracted to those with a
Symmetrical face Men and women with highly symmetrical faces tend to have
More lovers to choose from. Additionally, men with symmetrical faces begin to
Have sex four years earlier, have more sex, and have more affairs than their
Lopsided peers. Women also tend to have more orgasms with symmetrical men.
Timing significantly influences love. Individuals are more
Likely to fall in love if they are looking for adventure, craving to leave
Home, lonely, displaced in a foreign country, passing into a new stage of life,
Or financially and psychologically ready to share themselves or start a family.
e
Women around the world are more likely to fall in love with
Partners with ambition, education, wealth, respect, status, a sense of humor,
And who is taller than they are. Women also prefer distinctive cheek bones and
A strong jawbone, which are linked to testosterone levels. During ovulation,
Women become even more interested in men with signs of testosterone.
Men in love show more activity in the visual part of the
The Brain, while women in love show more activity in the part of the brain that
Governs memory. Scientists speculate that men have to size up a woman visually
To see if she can bear babies, while women have to remember aspects of man’s
Behavior to determine if he would be an adequate provider.
It is estimated that 40–70% of female homicides are
Committed by their lovers and spouses.
In one of many polls on the subject, 60% of married American
Men say they’ve been unfaithful, compared to 40% of American women.
The maple leaf is a symbol of love in China and Japan—and
In North America, it was often engraved on beds
of the early settlers to promote peaceful sleep and pleasure.
Plato asserts in his Symposium that initially all humans
We're whole, hermaphroditic beings with four hands, four legs, two identical
Faces on one head/neck, four ears, and both sets of genitals. When these
Beautiful, strong beings tried to overthrow the gods, Zeus split them into
Two—man and woman— and created the innate desire of human beings for one
Another to feel whole again.
Scientists suggest that merely staring into another person’s
Eyes are a strong precursor to love. In an experiment, strangers of the opposite
Sioux were put in a room together for 90 minutes where they talked about intimate
Details and then stared into each other’s eyes without talking. Many felt a
Deep attraction for each other, and two married each other six months later.
The urge to fall in love is, like sex and hunger, a
Primitive, biological drive.
Love and lust activate different areas of the brain Brains in love and brains in lust are not identical. Erotic
Photos activate the hypothalamus (which controls hunger and thirst) and the
amygada (arousal) areas of the brain. Love activates areas of the brain with a
High concentration of receptors for dopamine (associated with euphoria,
Craving, and addiction) and its relative, norepinephrine.
Many cultures use knots as symbols of an eternal love that
Has neither a beginning nor an end. Young Muslim women would send love messages
To their lovers using intricate knots.
The longer and more deliberate a courtship, the better then
Prospects for a long marriage. People who have intense, Hollywood-type romances
At the beginning are more likely to divorce.
New research suggests that passionate love does not always
Decline over time. In addition to exhibiting intense activity in the ventral
tegmental area of the brain similar to those in the early stages of love, brain
Scans also show activity in the ventral pallidum, a region associated with
Feelings of long-term attachment, and in the raphe nucleus, which is
Responsible for higher serotonin levels, which lead to calmness and less
Obsession.
Love is not necessarily a guarantee that a marriage will
Last. Other factors include a couple’s age (a husband who is nine or more years
Older than his wife or who marries before the age of 24 is more likely to
Divorce), those who are in their second or third marriage, those who had a
Child before marriage, and finances. Factors not pertinent to success of
Marriage is the number of children or their ages, the wife’s employment
States, and the number of years a wife has been employed.
Romantic love lasts just over a year, perhaps because the
Brain cannot eternally maintain a revved-up state of romantic bliss. As
Romantic love wanes, attachment love, a more stable love, sets in. To keep the
Passion alive, experts suggest doing satisfying and exciting activities as a
Couple.
High levels of testosterone may suppress oxytocin and
vasopressin (chemicals associated with attachment love), which may explain why
Men with higher testosterone levels tend to marry less often, be more abusive
During their marriage, and divorce more. When a man holds a baby, his testosterone
Goes down, perhaps as a result of increased oxytocin and vasopressin.
Men and women are biologically wired to express love in different
Ways Women often feel loved when talking face to face with them
Partner; men, on the other hand, often feel emotionally close when they work,
Play, or talk side by side.
To remain in love for a lifetime, therapists advise couples
To listen actively to your partner, ask questions, give answers, appreciate,
Stay attractive, grow intellectually, include your partner, give him/her
Privacy, be honest and trustworthy, tell your mate what you need, accept
His/her shortcomings, give respect, never threaten to leave, say “no” too
Adultery, don’t assume the relationship will last forever, and cultivate
Variety.
Men are more likely than women to be more flexible in their
Romantic choices when they are looking for short-term relationship—though when
They want a long-term mate, they become pickier about basic virtues.
Couples around the world who divorces tend to divorce around
Their fourth year of marriage. After four years, marriages generally stabilize
Until around eight years.
Being in love creates high levels of dopamine and
norepinephrine. The despair associated with unrequited love is associated with
Plummeting levels of dopamine. To increase dopamine, rejected lovers should
Exercise. Sunlight is another mood lifted, and smiling also activates nerve
Pathways that can give feelings of pleasure.
One of the greatest predictors of love is proximity.
Physical closeness leads to increased emotion, and it is not unusual to hear
Stories of bosses falling in love with their secretaries. On the other hand,
Scientists now think that at a critical time in childhood (sometime between
Ages 4–6), boys and girls who live in close proximity lose their ability to
Fall in love with each other, perhaps preventing the destructive act of mixing
One’s DNA with close kin.
Kama Sutra (love + thread, rule) is an ancient text on love
In Sanskrit literature written by Mallanaga Vatsyayana around the second
Century A.D. Kama is the Hindu god of love and
Also means desire. Sutra is a manual or a guide.
The herbs associated with Venus (marjoram, Meadowsweet,
Mint, thyme, and violet) are said to be love inducing when mixed with those
Herbs sacred to Mars (basil and broom). Spreading them on the floor or squinting
The bridal sheets with them supposedly evokes feelings of love.
The heart is a common symbol of love. Ancient alchemists
Used the symbol of the heart for incantations of love. The heart can represent
An inverted triangle in which love is poured or carried. In Buddhism, the
The triangle is an invocation of love energy associated with the divine. The heart
Can also represent the wings of a dove, which was sacrificed in ancient Israel as a
Gesture of love and which also served as a symbol of Aphrodite, the Greek
Goddess of love.
On average, men around the world marry women who are three years
Younger than themselves. In the United
States, men who remarry usually choose a
Wife five years younger; if they wed a third time, they often marry someone
Eight years younger than themselves.
Studies show that the risk of a “secret love” being revealed
Heightens romantic feelings for the partners, thanks to increased levels of
Phenylethylamine (PEA).
