What Does Love Feel Like Physically And Scientifically

Love is a powerful, life-changing and complex feeling that we all experience at some point in our life. The funny thing about love is that it’s almost impossible to explain the ‘’Why’’, but science, psychologists and sociologists have tried to explain the ‘’How’’. It has been established that men and women experience love differently and it has been proven that falling in love can literally make a person act, think, talk and dress differently. The feeling of love comes with a surge of complex and overwhelming emotions that affect the brain. It can be so intense that it's actually possible to see certain areas of the brain lighting up on brain scans.

NYC-based therapist Dr. Kimberly Hershenson, says "When you fall in love, chemicals associated with the reward center of the brain such as dopamine increase, which makes you happier. It creates a feeling of your heart racing, sweaty palms, and feelings of romance." You feel like bursting into song and dancing your way through the day." The way love feels and affects our brain can be different for everyone and may be spurned by different things, brain chemistry can differ for each individual, but experts suggest that socialized gender norms also affect the psychology of love and how we express it. So, if you have ever wondered what a guy might be thinking or feeling when in love, you're in luck. Here’s a closer look at how feelings of love play out for both men and women.

The ‘’reward’’ part of the brain that fires up when you’re in love is the same area that is activated when you take an addictive drug, no wonder partners can become addicted to each other. Now you know why your guy can’t seem to have enough of you no matter how much time you spend together. Science has also shown that this feeling of addictive euphoria can make you feel less pain. It’s so powerful that it stops pain signals from reaching the brain, by blocking it at the level of the spinal cord, can you imagine that?

When a guy is just dating and love is not involved, he’ll fit the relationship around his schedule but the moment feelings of love creep in, he won’t be able to stop thinking about the object of his affection and every other thing in his life will revolve around you. When he’s deciding what to wear, he’ll think about dressing for you. Where to go, what to do, with whom to do it all revolves around you. He’ll subconsciously start using terms like ‘we’ or ‘us’ instead of ‘I’ when making plans and decisions. When he does this know he’s starting to see you as part of his future.

Feelings of true love give guys a sense of freedom to be themselves, he feels deep down that he’s understood, accepted and admired for who he is without judgment. When it’s the real thing, he feels deep down in his heart that the world is right, everything is as it’s supposed to be and according to most men, this is an amazing feeling.

When a man falls in love, he starts pushing himself harder, puts more effort into certain things, changes some of his bad habits and pays attention to details he would have most likely overlooked in the past. The reason for this change in behavior is because he wants to be seen in the best possible light by the woman he loves and this is an important part of falling in love. His first instinct is to impress you by being the best he can be, pretty interesting right?

Love inspires men to do more or do something extraordinary, this is why artists usually consider the person they love as their muse, the one who inspires them to be more impulsive, daring and the result is often a masterpiece.

Since women are more forthcoming with their feelings, it's often believed that they fall in love faster than men and everyone seems to know how they feel when in love. But that's not necessarily true, for example in most relationships, men are usually the first to say ''I Love You''. This right here is how it feels to be a woman and in love.

For most women, one of the sure signs that she’s in love is when she feels completely at ease and at peace with a man. As cheesy as this may sound, it’s absolutely true. For women, the man they love is their safe place, their refuge, they can be silly, free, vulnerable and everything else with their partner without fear of rejection. So for women the feeling of love is comfortable and a safe haven.

To women, emotional attraction plays a very important role in how their feelings develop, for her, love comes only after she has established a connection at a deeper level with a guy. When she’s in love, she feels a special bond to you that has tremendous power. This incredible feeling helps her stay close and connected when things get bumpy and provide support throughout the relationship.

It’s not news that women are much more emotional and touchy-feely than their male counterparts when they’re in love. She’s generally believed to be way more interested in holding hands, kissing, and cuddling than anything else.  But you’ll be surprised to know that when a girl is truly in love, she values emotional connections than physical ones.  She'll want to talk more, expect her partner to open up and to understand her point of view on an array of topics. She craves genuinely relating to her partner on multiple levels. She won’t stop all physical contact but she’ll focus more on how she tunes in with her partner's personality, priorities, and values. Super deep right?

If you’ve ever been in love, truly in love, then you know how intense it gets. One minute you feel like the happiest person that ever walked the earth and the next minute you’re devastated just thinking about what things will be like without that person in your life. Talk of being unstable or crazy is an understatement of the century. We’re not talking about a crush, lust, and obsession or puppy love but the real deal, the whole nine yards. This is what it feels like for most people, it’s worthy to note that everyone may not feel all these feelings together but everyone experiences at least two or three of them at some point when they’re in love.

As crazy as it sounds, being in love feels like you’re high on cheap drugs and kind of feeling all the side effects at once. It’s a roller coaster of emotions and feelings that are sweeping you over and you’re at peace with it. Scientists believe when you're in love, you "bounce between exhilaration, euphoria, increased energy, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, trembling, a racing heart and accelerated breathing, as well as anxiety, panic and feelings of despair when your relationship suffers even the smallest setback." It feels like being caught up in a storm but feeling a calming wave washing over you. Crazy right?

When you see another couple, come across your partner's favorite food, walk past places you both have been to, watch a certain movie, read a book, etc everything seems to take you back to him/her. You daydream of them, smile to yourself when you think of them and see them in every beautiful thing you come across. From colors to flowers, sunsets and important moments of your day. They run through your mind all day every day.

When you’re in love your priorities change, you start to incorporate your partner's priorities into your everyday life. You start doing their favorite things, watching movies they love, eating at their favorite restaurants, spending time with their family.
You even start to allow your personality to evolve a little bit because of them.
You start experiencing small shifts in priorities which are inevitable when you’re in love. All your ‘I’ become ‘we’ and ‘my’ is suddenly ‘our’. You're now including them in your future plans.

Before you start freaking out, just remember that not everyone experiences every single side effect we’ve mentioned but don't be surprised if you indulge in more than one. And as overwhelming as it may seem, falling in love is one of the most amazing feelings ever. Just remember that even though it feels like it consumes you, stay true to who you are as a person and your love will blossom into a wonderful treasure.
So, have you ever been in love?