Psychological Facts About Love: 27 Psychological Love Facts To Know

“What’s love got to do, got to do with it.”

As a matter of fact, Mrs. Turner, love has got a lot to do with everything.  If you are in love or been in love, you would know that love is one of the most rewarding, important, and sometimes confusing emotions that can experience as human beings.

We know that love can be confusing, so let’s take a look at some psychological facts about love to help us understand the science, wonder, and truth that connects all aspects of love.

Interesting Psychological Facts About Love

1. Women are less attracted to men who have a belly (this one might be a bit obvious).  A large amount of abdominal fat on an individual indicates that they have lower levels of testosterone – meaning that they also have lower sex drive and low fertility.
2. Men are more attracted to women who possess a bone structure that resembles that of their mothers.  This is known as “sexual imprinting”; which is a term coined by researchers.
3. A strong sense of humor is generally associated with intelligence and honesty.  This is why most women are attracted to men who possess a strong sense of humor.
4. If you hold hands with someone you love, this can help to alleviate physical pain as well as any feelings of stress and fear.
5. Studies have shown that happiness is contagious.  It can be hard for people to walk away from someone who is happy, or not love someone who is happy simply because they are so enjoyable to be around.
6. Women felt that men became more attractive if they saw other women smiling at them.
7. People are most likely to break up once they have hit the three to five month period in their relationships.
8. Men who possess deeper voices are more likely to appear attractive or make an impression on women than men who possess higher voices.
9. According to some psychologist, human beings are not capable of being “just friends” with members of the opposite sex.
10. The act of falling in love is known to have a calming effect on a person’s body and mind.  This, in turn, will raise levels of nerve growth for about a year.
11. Apparently, it will only take up to 4 minutes to decide whether you like someone or not.  As such, if you want to make a good impression on someone, you have only got around 4 minutes to do so.  Getting and keeping someone’s attention and attraction is believed to have more to do with body language and tone and speed of your voice rather than things that you actually say.
12. When two people who love each other look into each other’s eyes, then their heart rates synchronize with each other.  Studies have shown that couples who are in love are so bonded that after three minutes of looking into each other’s eyes, their heart rates will synch up with each other.
13. Falling in love is known to pact the same neurological effects as cocaine.  Both falling in love and taking a dose of cocaine will give your brain similar feelings and sensation of euphoria.  Falling in love produces several euphoria-inducing chemicals in your body that will stimulate about 12 areas of an individual’s brain.
14. If you love cuddling, then you will be happy to know that cuddling is known to release natural painkillers.  When two people embrace or cuddle, their brains release oxytocin, which is a cuddle hormone.  Oxytocin appears in a person’s brain, and their ovaries and testicles are also involved in this bonding process.  Oxytocin helps to decrease headaches and can help pain go away for up to 4 hours.  So if you are feeling tired, stressed, or in pain – cuddling is a great alternative to any painkillers.
15. Simply looking at a picture of a loved one can help relieve pain.  It has been shown that the presence of a loved one can help a sick person or patient’s improvement, but so can a picture.  In a study conducted among people who were experiencing pain, participants were shown pictures of their loved ones and word games.  For those who were shown pictures, their pain was reduced significantly more than participants who were shown the word game as an alternative.
16. Individuals who appear similar and at the same level of attractiveness are more likely to end up together than people who look significantly different.  Many social researchers indicate that there is a pattern in how people chose their mates or romantic relationships.  This is demonstrated through a Matching Hypothesis, which indicates that people are more attracted to others who share a similar attraction level with them.
17. Couples or partners who are similar to each other are not likely to last in romantic relationships.  Although opposites attract, couples that are either too similar or too different are not likely to last very long.  According to researchers, there always have to be a strong foundation for similarities, as well as things that both individuals can learn from each other.
18. Heartbreak is real.  Research has shown that intense or traumatic events, such as break ups, divorce, physical distance, or the loss of a loved one can contribute to real physical pain in a person’s heart.  This is an actual condition known as the Broken Heart Syndrome.  Broken Heart Syndrome occurs when deep emotional triggers cause distress in the brain and significantly weaken a person’s heart, causing such symptoms as chest pain or shortness of breath.  This tends to affect women more than men, and can easily be misdiagnosed as a heart attack.
19. Individuals who are in love have chemical similarities in line with people who have OCD.  Research has shown that couples who are in an early stage of love possess lower levels of serotonin, which is associated with happiness and well-being, and higher levels of corisol, which is associated with stress.  These levels are very similar to people who suffer from OCD, otherwise known as Obsessive-compulsive disorder.  This can explain why we feel, act, or present ourselves in ways out of character when we fall in love with someone.
20. People generally prefer an attractive face over an attractive body when it comes to long-term relationships.  However, when people are looking for a fling, the body will win over the face on the basis of physical attraction.
21. The simple act of expressing gratitude towards people whom you love will generate an immediate spike in happiness.
22. The expression of having butterflies in your stomach is a real feeling that is caused by an adrenaline rush.  When and if you fall for someone, it will probably be hard to avoid the feeling of butterflies dancing and fluttering around in your stomach.  This happens as a body’s response to a fight-or-flight situation.
23. Be careful who you look at, because if you look into a stranger’s eyes, you can fall in love.  Our eyes are the windows to our souls, so it comes as no surprise that by simply looking at someone, even if you do not know them, you can fall for them.  By gazing or looking at someone, your body will produce phenylethylamine, a chemical that is associated with the body’s fight-or-flight response.
24. If time is on your side, then you might be more likely to find love than if it were not.  Timing significantly influences love, and individuals are more likely to fall in love when they are in a mindset of looking for adventure, wanting to leave home, lonely, in a foreign country, gravitating into a new stage of life, or financially and psychologically ready to share themselves or start a family.
25. Research has shown that if a man meets a woman while in a dangerous situation, or if a woman meets a man in a dangerous situation, they are more likely to fall in love with each other than if they were to meet in a mundane setting.  For instance, two people are more likely to fall in love with each other if they met while water rafting opposed to meeting in an office.
26. If you get dumped, or were a dumper; be careful.  Being dumped could lead to “frustration attraction”.  Frustration attraction only means that the individual who was dumped will love and lust the person who dumped them even more.
27. The expression “keep your loved ones close” can have an even greater meaning, as one of the greatest predictors of love is proximity or physical closeness.  Being close to another individual can contribute to increased emotion and feelings of want and desire.

Understanding Love

With these fun psychological facts about love, what is there not to love?  Once you better understand your reasons, purpose, and intention behind why you love and how, the better you can go about giving and receiving the love that you deserve.  If you are interested in learning more about the secrets regarding the psychology of the language of love, enroll in this course on body language for relationships.