Hey everyone, and welcome to TopThink.
Today, we are going to learn about the crazy things people do for love.
Now, let’s begin.
1.
Pain Blindness What’s the most reckless thing you can think
of?
Probably something dangerous like jumping off a cliff.
Or leaping in front of a speeding car.
But partners, parents, and all kinds of other people have done even crazies things for love.
In fact, you’ve probably heard several amazing stories about people taking outrageous risks
for their spouse or child.
It’s all in the name of love.
But why can we do such dangerous things for the people we care about?
What about this powerful feeling makes us so reckless?
Well, the simple fact is… love might blind our ability to feel pain.
This was shown back in 2010 by a study published in the scientific journal PLOS One.
Researchers wanted to put this myth about love and pain to the test.
Does being in love really change the way you experience something like a bruise or cut?
Turns out, love is a natural painkiller.
In this neurological study, every participant had one major thing in common.
They were hopelessly in love with someone.
So, if they felt something painful, being in love should spare them a little bit of
suffering, right?
Well, in this experiment, it did exactly that.
But before we dive into the actual results, let’s back up.
Participants started by looking at three images.
One showed their significant other.
The next showed a traditionally attractive person.
And the last contained a word association task, which was meant to be a neutral distraction.
While looking at those pictures, researchers scanned their brains to see how they responded.
They were looking specifically at the way their brains were reacting to pain.
If the myth about love were right… the first picture would relieve the most pain.
And that’s what happened.
While looking at pictures of their partners, people experienced less pain than the other
two conditions.
But it wasn’t because their body was ignoring pain.
It’s something else entirely.
When you’re in love, those emotions stimulate a number of reward centers in your brain.
In other words, you feel so much good… that it overwhelms the bad.
You don’t notice the pain… because your brain is head over heels in love.
And that’s one big reason why people do such dangerous things for people they love.
They’ll take big risks.
And sometimes they’ll pay the price.
But their brain may be so infatuated… that it doesn’t even notice.
Just remember that love doesn’t make you immune or immortal.
It might create a little bit of pain blindness, but, if you get hurt while you’re in love,
you’re still hurt.
A broken arm is a broken arm no matter who you’re dating.
If you need proof, just look at that same 2010 study.
Every participant was still getting hurt during each trial.
The only difference is… their brains were too lovesick to care.
2.
Cross-Country Cravings In 2009, one man drove 13 hours in the middle
of the night to see his partner.
They spent only a few minutes together... before he had to turn around and drive another
13 hours home.
To most people, that sounds crazy.
Why would someone drive for 26 hours just to see someone’s face?
The truth is… love is one of the most powerful cravings you can have.
When you’re in love with someone, it evokes all kinds of passionate and positive feelings.
Your mood skyrockets.
Your brain fills with feel-good hormones.
And you get this sudden rush of euphoria that makes the whole world seem perfect.
But here’s the bad news.
Those overwhelming feelings are temporary.
That kind of extreme passion might stick around when you’re spending time with your partner.
But, as soon as they leave… it starts to fade.
You go back to your normal mood and your normal life.
The problem is, for most people, normal isn’t nearly enough anymore.
Their brain wants to find that amazing, euphoric feeling again.
So you develop cravings, the same way you can crave sugar or a cup of coffee.
This idea comes directly from a 2017 article, which was published in the journal of Philosophy,
Psychiatry, and Psychology.
In this analytical paper, researchers ask an important question about love, a question
that people have been wondering for decades.
Can you crave the feeling of love?
And is that actually a bad thing?
The answer is a little bit complicated, but here’s the gist of it.
Love can give us cravings and change our mood.
Sometimes, those powerful feelings make us stay in toxic relationships.
Or ignore all of our responsibilities.
It’s the reason why that lovesick boyfriend drove across the country just to see his girlfriend’s
face.
But, even though love can be addicting … it’s not a disease.
And it isn’t always bad.
It just makes us do crazy things.
3.
Uproot Their Life When any couple is together long enough, something
strange happens.
Seeing each other every once in awhile doesn’t feel like enough anymore.
You want to be together all the time.
So what do you do?
You might have to uproot your entire life to be with them.
You might leave your friends and family behind, all for the sake of your relationship.
On the surface, this is one of the craziest things people do for love.
You spend so much time cultivating a life for yourself.
But, if you meet the right person… it feels like none of that matters.
You may make all these sacrifices just to be with them.
To see their face each night before you go to bed.
And when you wake up in the morning.
So why do so many relationships reach this same stage?
What is it about love that makes people uproot their entire lives?
Cravings are definitely a part of it.
You want to feel those passionate feelings as often as possible.
But, for most people, the problem isn’t something powerful and explosive.
It’s the little things.
Because life might feel empty without the person you love beside you.
You become so intimate and attached to your partner that they become an essential piece
of who you are.
They loom larger in your life than your job, house, or friends ever could.
That’s why so many people make the crazy decision to uproot their lives.
Move to a new city.
Or start a new job, just to be with their partner.
It may not be the most practical decision… but love can outweigh almost anything.
4.
The Smiling Cycle When you’re in love, you might notice something
crazy happening when you’re alone.
For no reason at all, you’ll just start smiling.
You’ll be standing in the kitchen, making or a sandwich.
Or sitting on the couch, relaxing and reading a book.
When all the sudden… you’ll just start feeling happy.
Your body seems lighter.
Everything you do feels more fun.
And, of course, you can’t shake that smile off your face.
So why do we smile so much when we’re in love?
Well first, let’s break down what a smile actually means.
Let’s say you’re sitting across from your partner.
And they give you a compliment.
As soon as that happens, your brain starts producing endorphins, which are hormones in
your brain that make you feel good.
Since you feel good, your brain sends signals down to the muscles in your mouth.
And that makes you smile.
Once those muscles start moving, another signal travels from your mouth back to your brain.
That second signal stimulates your internal reward system, which triggers another flood
of endorphins.
In other words, smiling is constant cycle of good feelings and positive hormones.
So it’s no wonder a little smile can put you in such a great mood.
Normally, this process starts with a trigger.
Like your partner giving you a compliment.
Or saying something funny.
Compliments and jokes will trigger that initial burst of endorphins… and kicks off the smiling
cycle.
But when you’re in love, you don’t need that trigger.
You don’t need to hear a joke or receive a compliment.
According to an article published by Harvard University, love is such a powerful mood booster
that it gives you a constant flow of feel-good hormones.
Whenever you talk or even think about your significant other, those hormones go crazy.
Which means you’re going to keep smiling… even if you’re the only one in the room.
5.
Spontaneous Singing Last but not least, people in love are notorious
singers.
You might already sing a lot.
You sing when you’re along in the car.
You sing when you’re in the shower.
But when you fall in love… you start singing all the time.
And there’s nothing you can do about it.
But why do we suddenly become such crazy singers?
For starters, singing is just a fun thing to do.
A 2017 essay from Science Daily tells us that singing is a nearly universal mood booster.
It gives you a chance to let out all that stress and restless energy.
In the moment, you forget about what anybody else thinks.
But that’s not all.
Just like smiling, singing is also a natural side effect of hormones in your brain.
Because, whenever those endorphins swirl around your head, you feel the urge to be loud and
proud.
You want to have a good time.
Enjoy your favoring songs.
And, of course, sing at the top of your lungs.
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