Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this guest post free of charge, from the author, via Ascot Media Group, for blog posting purposes. No compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post Nor was I told what to say, all opinions are my own, and yours may be different,a sin the case with any health related topic.
It's Valentine's Day!
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| Courtesy of pixabay |
Do you know the legend of St Valentine, whom we honor today?
The legend states that Valentine was arrested and put to death by Emperor Claudius II. Valentine was defying orders and secretly helping soldiers to marry.
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| Courtesy of Pixabay |
But why would Claudius II not want his soldiers to marry?
Here's where the neuroscience comes in.
It turns out that when a man marries, his testosterone drops. So, Claudius' decree against marriage makes biological sense. If you want an aggressive army that will fight your battles, it's better to have single, highly testosterone-fortified men.
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| Courtesy of pixabay |
Think that's crazy? It turns out that lower testosterone is not the only crazy thing that happens to us when we fall in love.
In a dramatic presentation, Love Biologist Dawn Maslar cut up a brain to show what happens to our brains when we fall in love:
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| Courtesy of Pixabay |
• We can lose cognitive ability
• We can lose the ability to accurately judge our partner – that's why they say 'love is blind'
• We can lose the ability to feel concern if we detect a problem
• We can experience an increase in self-transcendence – being in love makes us feel less selfish and more connected to the world
In addition:
• Our serotonin (hormone of happiness) can fall to the level of someone with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)!!!
• His testosterone drops but hers goes up – making her sexually charged
• This effect is temporary – lasting between 1 and 3 years
Don't worry, while the craziness is temporary, the love CAN last a lifetime.
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| Courtesy of Pixabay |
In fact, Valentine's Day helps since the following can also kick-in:
• Red hearts, cards and clothes boost his testosterone which can increase the romance
• Giving chocolate on Valentine's Day can boost dopamine – an important neurotransmitter of long-term love
• Doing new and novel things with a partner can also boost dopamine
• Spending quality time together increases oxytocin - the bonding hormone
You can hear more from Dawn on the effects of love and Valentine's Day on this great interview!
And be sure to check our her new book, Men Chase, Women Choose: The Neuroscience of Meeting, Dating, Losing Your Mind, and Finding True Love, to find our what REALLY goes on in your brain, when you fall in love!
About Dawn:
Dawn Maslar, MS, is an award-winning author, expert guest speaker, adjunct biology professor, and researcher in the science of love. She is a two-time TEDx speaker and her talk on 'How Your Brain Falls in Love' went viral last year, resulting in her new book!
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