Love is one of the most complex emotions. Its warm squishiness seems a world away from the cold hard reality of scientific study—but it’s an emotion that has captivated poets, philosophers and high school boys gazing dreamily at girls two rows over. It’s a word that encompasses both the intense emotional attachment between a partner or spouse and the more generalized sense of affection and loyalty toward friends, family members and even pets.
When you fall in love, your brain’s reward circuits activate, causing you to feel pleasure around that person, and your blood flow to the area of the brain associated with reward and pleasure increases. Love also triggers the release of oxytocin, the “cuddle hormone,” and adrenaline, a feeling of euphoria. These chemicals can make you want to spend more time with the person you’re in love with, and can cause your heart rate and blood pressure to increase.
But is that all that love really is? Many psychologists and researchers debate this issue. Some believe that love is a primary emotion like happiness or anger, while others think it’s a secondary emotion—derived from other emotions and experiences.
Regardless of how you define it, most people agree that loving and being loved are important for happiness. A recent worldwide survey found that the things people look to for happiness include their health and well-being (both physical and mental), their families, having a purpose, living conditions, social connections, feeling safe, being in nature and having a meaningful job.