“She loved that man madly, but in a delirious way of some kind; there was never any mooching or mincing around, just talk and a very deep companionship that none of us would ever be able to fathom. Something curiously unsympathetic and cold between them was really a form of humour by which they communicated their own set of subtle variations.” – Jack Kerouac

Love is hard to explain. Just like the great American writer Jack Kerouac struggled to understand the love that existed between two of his best friends, so many of us struggle to understand love at all.

Despite its immense power, and despite how it bewitches us with its spell and makes us do things we never dreamed we would do, love is abstract. It can’t be seen but, boy, can it be felt.

Falling in love is so exciting. But have you ever stopped to consider love on a more scientific plane? Let’s take a look at 10 interesting and amazing facts about love that will blow your mind.

True Love Is As Addictive As Nicotine Or Cocaine

During the initial, thrilling stage of attraction a chemical is released in your brain called dopamine, or what some call the “happy hormone.” The same chemical is also released when people use nicotine or cocaine.

The rush of pleasure it gives in drug users is so intense that it makes them addicted to the feeling, and thus to the drug.

True love is the same. The feelings we feel when we first make that emotional connection with someone are so intense that we become addicted to it and want more.

I suppose this is why many of us can’t function whenever we’re apart from our lover for a while. We’re withdrawing.

Some Animals Are Monogamous

You might think male house flies are Don Juans who fly from woman to woman, while you could be forgiven for thinking dingos aren’t interested in settling down.

But the truth is that there are plenty of animals who are just as monogamous as us humans.

Swans, wolves, black vultures and even termites are known to find mates that they keep their whole lives.

Aww. See, that’s how powerful true love is. When you’re in love with a fellow termite, another termite just isn’t going to be able to pull you away, no matter how attractive they are.

We Are Attracted To People With A Different Immune System

Not only are we attracted to people with a different immune system, but we can also sense when someone has a different immune system to us. Bizarre? Totally.

It was a researcher called Claude Wedekind of the University of Switzerland who came across this unusual finding. Claude asked women to smell the unwashed t-shirts of different men. Oddly enough, women preferred the small of a man’s t-shirt who had a totally different immune system to hers.

Apparently the same conclusion has also been found in research with rodents.

True love really does work in some mysterious ways.

It Takes Only Four Minutes To Decide If This Is A Person You Could Fall In Love With

If you think you’ve just met the One, either in a bar, on a date or elsewhere, scientists say that you only have four minutes to make a lasting impression on them.

It’s all to do with your tone, your body language, as well as how you hold yourself.

Love Can Make You Crazy

Okay, so you already know that love can make you crazy. Perhaps you drove yourself insane when your first lover didn’t reply to a text for 6 hours, or maybe you couldn’t get a man off your mind so much that you actually failed an exam one time.

But it has been scientifically proven that love really can make you crazy.

Like, really crazy.

To have an obsessive compulsive disorder about something, a person needs to have a certain level of serotonin activated. The same levels that cause OCD, can also cause a serious infatuation with another person.

This is most likely why we focus so much on just that one person when we fall in love. All of a sudden, nothing else matters and we hate it when someone else texts us when we’re waiting for our beau to get in touch!

When You Cuddle, You Release Natural Painkillers

When you cuddle your lover, your body activates an actual cuddle hormone called oxytocin. This hormone is found in three different organs: The brain, testicles and ovaries, and helps you both to bond.

Oxytocin is actually a natural painkiller that soothes headaches. For this reason, it’s well worth cuddling your lover as much as possible.

If Love Wasn’t Blind, Relationships Wouldn’t Last

Have you ever been in love with someone your friends and family told you wasn’t right for you?

“Your blind to their failings!” they might have told you.

But despite their warnings, you pressed ahead, got married and had kids.

“Love really is blind,” your friends lamented afterwards.

But according to scientists, love has to be blind so that we have long-lasting relationships. If we all threw in the towel because of one little fault or a mistake, we’d never get beyond first date.

The Chase Is Exciting

Wouldn’t it be boring if we met a new lover each week who was super submissive and said Yes to everything instantly?

Life would be easier, but much less thrilling.

“The chase” is exciting. Called the Romeo and Juliet, humans are wired to warm to situations where obstructions mean you have to work harder to win the heart of another.

We Are Attracted To People Who Look Like One Of Our Parents

It sounds really creepy, but according to research we are attracted to people who look (or at least smell) like one of our parents. Weird, huh?

Naturally, you’re not going to say to someone: “I was attracted to you because you look like my dad,” and the truth is that it probably never crossed your mind. But on an unconscious level, you have a desire to find a mate who reminds you of your parent(s).

Strange – but true.

But definitely strange.

Love Does Make Things Sweeter

Ever heard the saying that love makes life sweeter? Well, it definitely makes your food taste sweeter.

According to studies, when you eat and think about love at the same time, your food tastes better.

Think of jealousy, and it’ll taste worse. Not cool.

Stay happy!