Madly in love

When chatting with Pilot yesterday, he spoke about this article he had read in the National Geographic. Tried to read it online, but the whole article is not available. Any way this is pretty much the gist of it.

According to Helen Fisher, an anthropologist - she says that being in love has the same chemical reactions or processes as having obsessive compulsive disorder.
Now before you jump on to my head, let me just tell you what she said.
According to research when you’re in 'love' chemical messengers such as dopamine are release. And this chemical in the right proportions, provokes intense energy, focused attention, recklessness and exhilaration. All associated with being in love.

Also stated that, if you do reckless or adventurous thing son your first date, you are more likely to stay together of the high release of dopamine.

When you are in love, the high levels of dopamine are also accompanied by low levels of serotonin. They measured 7 people who were in love or in the beginning exciting phase of their relationships, showed them a neutral picture and then picture of the one they loved and measured the chemical activity.
They then went to a psychiatric ward and measured the chemical activity of OCD patients and found that the levels were similar.
So basically you have the same chemicals running through you when your in love or you have OCD (extreme cases)

The other interesting fact was that, as the relationship progresses, the brain begins to deal with the high levels of dopamine and the neurons get desensitized. In long term relationships the level of serotonin increases and it is a hormone that promotes feelings of connection and bonding.

Researchers also state that the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)—influences women's attraction to men's body odors. Women are most attracted to men whose MHC genes were very different from her own. Basically woman are attracted to opposite body odours.

This reminds me of the poem
What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails
That's what little boys are made of !
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and all things nice
That's what little girls are made of!

I really find it hard to believe that, body odour is what we woman are attracted too. Smelly men... I think not. But then thinking about it - there is nothing more sexier than a man who is hot and sweaty after a work out (ah KH !) Any way I am going off the topic. Really don’t know the whole odour issue thing, but the fact that chemical reactions of being in love is the same as extreme cases of OCD - puts a twist to being Madly in Love