WALL STREET JOURNAL: ..Scientists say we are genetically wired for the possibility of love at first sight, but why it happens to some people and not others is largely a matter of timing and self-assurance…
Romantic love is one of three systems—along with the sex drive and feelings of deep attachment—that humans developed for mating. Romantic love’s intense desire for connection with the other person typically lasts 18 months to three years, experts say. Its evolutionary purpose is to help people pick one partner and bond in order to raise a child.
When we fall in love, a reward system fueled by dopamine is activated in the brain. “It’s the system that governs wanting, craving, obsessions, focus, energy and motivation,” Dr. Fisher says. A brain scan of a person in love shows activation in some of the same areas as in a heroin addict, she adds… (more)
