SYDNEY, Jan 13 ― Falling in love sends us into a state of euphoria. We get butterflies in our stomachs, and only have eyes for our new partner. But how can this behaviour be explained? Australian researchers have shed new light on the question by studying the brain chemistry involved in falling in love.

Falling in love with someone changes the brain through the release of oxytocin, also known as the "love hormone,” responsible for the euphoria we feel when we fall head over heels for a new flame. Nevertheless, there's still a great deal of mystery surrounding the changes that happen in our brains when we fall in love. Researchers at the Australian National University, the University of Canberra and the University of South Australia teamed up to study the brain chemistry involved in falling in love. And it turns out that being in love can scramble a part of the brain so that your partner becomes the centre of your world.

Published in the journal, Behavioural Science, this research is the first to explore the link between the human brain's "behavioural activation system (BAS)” and romantic love. To conduct their research, the scientists questioned 1,556 young adults identified as being "in love.” Survey questions focused on the participants' emotional reactions to their partners, their behaviour around them, and the attention they paid to them.

The researchers found that our brains react very differently when we are in love. "It makes the object of our affections the centre of our lives,” the researchers explain in a news release.

"We know the role that oxytocin plays in romantic love, because we get waves of it circulating throughout our nervous system and blood stream when we interact with loved ones,” explain Dr Phil Kavanagh of the University of Canberra. "The way that loved ones take on special importance, however, is due to oxytocin combining with dopamine, a chemical that our brain releases during romantic love. Essentially, love activates pathways in the brain associated with positive feelings.”

To further their research, the scientists plan to study the differences between men and women in their approach to love, and conduct a larger-scale survey with the aim of identifying different types of romantic lovers. ― ETX Studio