We're on Wattpad, so I know we've all seen declarations of love. From the simple ("Hey, love ya") to the cliche ("My love for you will outlast the stars. Even when this universe is otherwise cold and empty, that love will still be burning!"), we see this seemingly inexplicable feeling arise between people, between characters-- magical, people may say. I've never been in love, so you'll have to tell me. Being the proper nerd that I am, I can say that I know love hasn't much to do with the heart. The brain sends signals that makes your heart beat faster, makes your stomach twist in knots, and it's the brain that ultimately makes you fall in love. In about a fifth of a second, too. People newly in love have increased blood levels of nerve growth factor, and that same thing applies to interactions like "love at first sight" (or as my mother calls it, "Bogus").

These chemicals can even tell you why (in an anatomical sense) your relationship is as successful or unsuccessful as it is. The hormone vasopressin is considered important in long-term relationships and is positively correlated with greater spousal support, attachment security, interpersonal functioning, and relationship maintenance, as well as with less negative communication. Oxytocin aids in creating an extremely powerful bond between mother and child, and also between partners. Actually, when you get that sense of euphoria, twelve parts of your brain are working to release oxytocin, dopamine, and epinephrine-- the same response it gives to a hit of cocaine. And different parts of the brain are involved in different types of love; for example, the reward center of the brain is more stimulated with romantic love but not much at all by a parent's unconditional love.

Maybe I'm reducing the mysticism of love. Personally, though, I find this science a lot more miraculous than the unknown nature. Chemicals in your brain are partly responsible for the long, happy lives of couples around the world and the unreserved support of parents for their children. Chemicals in your brain are why your heart goes faster at the sight of him or her. I find that beautiful, but perhaps that's just me. After all, I think it's fair to say that I'm falling in love with science-- or at the very least, my average beat-per-minute has gone up while researching.