LOVE is one of the most sailable yet confounding parts of the human experience.
It has been a cornerstone of inspiration for countless poets, musicians, artists and propels many of us to do the strangest of things.
But what is actually going on in our brains when we’re in love? Well science is in the process of finding that out.
For the first time neuroscientists have attempted to empirically map out the brain’s varying response to the intoxication of that crazy little thing called love. The findings could help in developing a brain scan that determines whether its subject is in love or not.
What is the practical application of such a test, you ask? Well apart from alleviating insecurities of couples everywhere, the science could conceivably be used in court cases where a strong presence of love (or lack there of) would be considered a factor. For instance, it could prove to be a mitigating factor in a criminal trial involving a crime of passion.
The research, published in the open source Journal, Frontiers, was compiled by scientists from Southwest University, the University of Science and Technology of China and from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
The researchers used MRI scans to examine the brain activity of 100 people who were separated into three distinct groups, depending on their current romantic states.
The “in-love” group made up of individuals currently experiencing intense love. The “ended-love” group consisting of individuals who had recently ended a close romantic relationship and were not currently in love. And finally, the poor lonely buggers in the “single” group of people who had never fallen in love with anyone.
Significantly increased activity (the brains on the right) was found in the left dorsal a
Significantly increased activity (the brains on the right) was found in the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex of the ‘in-love’ group. Source: Frontiers in Neuroscience Source: Supplied
The participants were told to try not to think about anything during the scan.
Those who were currently experiencing love’s warm embrace displayed increased activity in several areas of the brain. The sections of the brain that proved more active deal with reward, motivation, and emotion regulation, as well as in the social cognition network.
The level of activity in certain parts even showed a positive correlation to the length of the relationship with those from the “in love” group.
Conversely, the more time that had passed since the “ended love” group had exited their relationship, the lower the levels of brain activity in these areas.
The researchers said their results shed light on the “underlying mechanisms of romantic love” and would pave the way for a brain scan that could act as a “love test”, reports the UK Telegraph.
Like a drug, our brains responds to love by lighting up like a Christmas tree.
Like a drug, our brains responds to love by lighting up like a Christmas tree. Source: Supplied
While the test was modest in size, according to the lead researcher of the study, Prof Xiaochu Zhang, it provides the “first empirical evidence of love-related alterations in brain functional architecture.”
While many aspects of the human brain and its functionality remain a mystery, for now, we’re getting a greater insight into the meaning of being “drunk on love.”

http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/research-shows-the-changes-in-brain-activity-between-those-in-and-out-of-love/story-fnpjxnqt-1227267448139