an addiction

It's a chemical emotion why should we think that's it's any more than that? Why should we bother to try? Why get addicted to somethings that's only going to hurt you like any other addiction would?

Risky Romance

"In one small study, researchers looked at magnetic resonance images of the brains of 10 women and seven men who claimed to be deeply in love. The length of their relationships ranged from one month to less than two years. Participants were shown photographs of their beloved, and photos of a similar-looking person.

The brains of the smitten participants reacted to photos of their sweethearts, producing emotional responses in the same parts of the brain normally involved with motivation and reward.

"Intense passionate love uses the same system in the brain that gets activated when a person is addicted to drugs," said study co-author Arthur Aron, a psychologist at the State University of New York at Stony Brook."

In Love Puts Workouts on Fast Track

"Brain scans of people in love show increased blood flow to regions of the brain associated with motivation. These same areas have been found to be activated in people, including athletes, who are intensely focused on pursuing a goal, Campbell said. But only one study had examined whether being in love affected athletic achievement.

The researchers questioned nearly 400 athletes (265 female, 133 male) using online surveys, and also interviewed 25 Olympic athletes in person.

The researchers provided the athletes with a definition of love, lest there be any confusion, and asked whether they had ever been in love, and if so, whether they thought their performance was better or worse because of it.

Fifty-five percent of athletes said they thought being in love enhanced their performance. Men were more likely than women to say being in love helped them in their sport."

Romantic Love is an Addiction

"Those who pine over a lost love might have a biological reason for their prolonged yearning. New brain research suggests getting over romantic rejection might be akin to kicking an addiction.

The study is one of the first to examine the brains of the recently broken-hearted who have trouble letting go of their relationship.

The researchers found that, for heartbroken men and women, looking at photographs of former partners activated regions in the brain associated with rewards, addiction cravings, control of emotions, feelings of attachment and physical pain and distress.

The results provide insight into why it might be hard for some people to get over a break up, and why, in some cases, people are driven to commit extreme behaviors, such as stalking and homicide, after losing love."

ALSO

• Brain regions known as the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal/prefrontal cortex were also activated. These regions are known to be associated with intense cocaine addiction and cigarette addiction.
• There was also increased activity in the brain's insular cortex and the anterior cingulated, regions associated with physical pain and distress.