The Positive Side Of Romantic Love
To know what love is, we need to know what love is not. In order to answer this question, we first need to get clear on what love is not. Love is not lust, infidelity, jealousy, or anger. It is not selfishness or superiority. Love is simply a perception of that which makes us feel love, a certain degree of caring, closeness, protection, dependence, devotion, and trust, all expressed in one form or another by a romantic partner.
There are numerous chemicals that are released in the brain when you are in romantic love. These include serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, epinephrine, and oxytocin. Oxytocin is the neurotransmitter that has been linked with feelings of love and intimacy. Oxytocin and other neurotransmitters play an important role in our brains, and it has been demonstrated that the amount of oxytocin in the brain increases during moments of passionate love.
When you are in love, you are engaging in behaviors and thoughts that are geared towards creating and nurturing a loving relationship. Romantic love involves feelings of compassion, care, trust, security, commitment, and invitation. This type of emotion involves positive emotions such as joy, ecstasy, contentment, assurance, accomplishment, fulfillment, and delight. Positive emotions are important for our physical and mental health. It has been proven that when you are in positive emotions, your brain responds more quickly to the stimuli involved, which increases the production of dopamine, a hormone that plays a key role in our physical and mental health.
An important area of brain function that is involved in romantic love style involves the part of the brain called the amygdala. This part of the brain controls the “fight or flight” response, which is triggered by negative events such as injury, danger, and death. When experiencing these intense feelings, the amygdala sends signals to the adrenal gland, which prepares the body to either fight or run away. In either case, this causes the body to experience pain, which is typically felt in the abdomen, chest, or thighs. Dopamine is released to relieve the stress of these negative events and can potentially lead to problems with memory, learning disabilities, impulse control, depression, and substance abuse.
While being in a romantic relationship, another person’s love and affection can have a significant impact on the brain’s chemistry. However, when this type of intense feeling becomes frequent or begins to overwhelm a person, then that person may experience symptoms of depression and/or substance abuse. Being in love can have its benefits – these are just a few of them.
People learn many things about love, life, and their emotions by their own experiences. One important component in learning about love is the ability to differentiate between feelings that are considering positive and those that are not. While most people can tell the difference between love and anger, they sometimes struggle when it comes to negative feelings. If you are constantly feeling angry at your partner for no apparent reason, it might be time for you and your partner to talk. Sometimes the anger is not always appropriate and should be addressed. Understanding the different types of emotions that are part of romantic love will help you and your partner understand one another more.