Some psychological research supports the notion that people generate idealized, unrealistic images of their romantic partners. This suggests that love may make us better at understanding the people around us rather than worse.Īnother reason love can seem like an illusion is that it may make us overlook another person’s negative qualities. Unlike substance use disorders, romantic love promotes greater activity in areas of the brain involved in social cognition - our ability to empathize with the thoughts and feelings of others. Almost any behavior that makes us feel good involves the reward mechanisms in our brains in some way.įurthermore, research has demonstrated important differences between the neurological correlates of love and addiction. However, you can say the same thing about positive actions like giving to charity. Yes, romantic attraction seems to strengthen the same dopamine-based reward pathways in the brain as drug addiction. We’ll review some common misconceptions about love and relationships and discuss the reality behind them. You don’t have to ignore science to think that love is real and important.

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