‘Love at first sight’ is an English expression that means to fall in love with someone instantly after just looking at him or her for the first time. Whether you believe this is real love or just shallow desire, it’s a familiar scene in today’s books, movies, and television shows.
According to this old idea, falling in love is a matter of fate. Love can strike in the blink of an eye, leaving us helpless to control our feelings. Indeed, according to some modern brain research, seeing an attractive person can jolt your brain. This shows up on MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans. But what does that jolt really mean?
In one British study, volunteers wore special helmets that scanned their brains as they looked at photos of strangers. When a person they found attractive seemed to be looking right at them, the part of the brain called the “reward center” lit up. This might not mean much. That same area lights up when you expect any kind of reward, such as food when you’re hungry.
Researchers said that the response could be based on an evolutionary adaptation for choosing healthy-looking mates. Today it might only mean a shallow desire to associate with attractive people for social status.
Another study at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, also measured brain activity in volunteers looking at photos. Researchers found that an area called the prefrontal cortex lit up while looking at certain photos. That part of the brain is important for mature decision-making.
Later those volunteers met and talked with the people in the photos. About 63 percent of the time, they found the same person attractive. But the two people made plans to see each other again only 10 percent of the time.
Clearly, there is a connection between seeing an attractive stranger and feeling a jolt of excitement, but maybe we shouldn’t trust those hair-trigger attractions. Research says that the jolt that runs through your body is usually not really love, and it’s not at all likely to last in the long run. Finding the love of one’s life is a time-consuming process for most.
What do you think? Have you ever felt ‘love at first sight?’ And what about all the other types of first impressions you make about others? You might not fall in love, but sometimes you instantly feel comfortable around someone for no clear reason, and other times you feel like you want to get as far away as possible. Do you trust your gut instincts?
References:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1590847.stm
https://www.livescience.com/24593-brain-love-dating-decisions.html
‘Love at first sight ‘ means to fall in love with someone after just looking at him or her for the first time. Whether you believe this is real love or not, it’s a common story in today’s books, movies, and television shows.
According to this old idea, falling in love is a matter of fate. Love can happen in the blink of an eye, leaving us helpless to control our feelings. According to some brain research, seeing a good-looking person can jolt your brain. This shows up when looking at brain activity. But what does that jolt really mean?
In one study, they looked at people’s brains as they looked at photos of strangers. When they looked at someone good-looking, the part of the brain called the “reward center” lit up. This might not mean much. That same area lights up when you expect any kind of reward, such as food when you’re hungry.
Researchers said that the response could be connected to choosing healthy-looking partners.
Another study also measured brain activity in people looking at photos. Researchers found that one area of the brain lit up while looking at certain photos. That part of the brain is important for making decisions.
Later those people met and talked with the people in the photos. About 63 percent of the time, they found the same person good-looking. But the two people made plans to see each other again only 10 percent of the time.
There is a connection between seeing a good-looking person and feeling a jolt of excitement. But maybe we shouldn’t trust those hair-trigger feelings. Research says that the jolt that runs through your body is usually not love. And it’s not at all likely to last in the long run. Finding the love of one’s life is time-consuming for most people.
What do you think? Have you ever felt ‘love at first sight?’ And what about all the other types of first impressions you make about others? You might not fall in love, but sometimes you feel comfortable around someone for no clear reason. And other times, you feel like you want to get as far away as possible. Do you trust your gut instincts?
References:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1590847.stm
https://www.livescience.com/24593-brain-love-dating-decisions.html
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