Ah, the woes of love! The bittersweet pain and the all-encompassing ecstasy! A world through pink glasses and a gnawing in your guts. Whatever would we do without this ephemeral feeling? Well, for starters, we wouldn’t have this cool list full of love facts!
Ever wondered if love has anything to do with chemistry or if the feeling is actually based on some physiological reactions of your body? We did, too, and now we have the answers to all these burning questions. Cold, solid facts about love, to be exact. Calculated by scientists and measured by psychologists, these interesting facts are truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And, after reading them, you’re sure to find out that being in love is basically the best thing ever for all your body’s systems. Except, of course, for the part of the brain that’s responsible for critical thinking, because we all know that once you are in love, the only thing that makes sense is love itself. And it’s just wonderful!
So, yeah, although being in love has some downsides associated with it (especially if the story ends in heartbreak), these fun facts will convince you once more that being in love is a life-changing experience and suffering of the sweetest kind. If you’re ready for it, scroll on down below and check out our facts on love, for they are truly of an enlightening kind! Once you’ve learned everything there is, give the fun fact about love you liked the most your vote, and share this article with your friends!
#1
Love and intimacy are connected to creativity.
It encourages optimism, broadens your thinking, and encourages cooperation and compromise.
Image source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
#2
When speaking to their lovers face-to-face, women frequently feel more adored and in love. For men, however, it is working, playing, or speaking side by side that has the desired effect.
Image source: psychologytoday.com, Alvin Mahmudov
#3
The heartbeats of lovers synchronize.
When two people are connected to devices that track their heart rates and breathing patterns, their heart rates and breathing patterns synchronize.
Image source: ucdavis.edu
#4
Mirroring each other’s actions is a sign of attraction.
When someone mimics your voice, speech patterns, and nonverbal conduct subtly, this is known as mirroring. This is a method of finding out someone’s level of interest. If others like you, even subconsciously, they will mimic your actions.
Image source: psychologia.co
#5
Women’s brains respond more to romantic cues on a full stomach than an empty one.
A study indicated that young women with and without a history of dieting responded to romantic images in reward-related neural regions of the brain more strongly when they had eaten than when they were hungry.
Image source: sciencedaily.com
#6
Women are more attracted to men with a strong sense of humour – they associate this trait with honesty and intelligence.
Image source: sciencealert.com
#7
The longest marriage recorded lasted 86 years.
On May 13, 1924, Herbert Fisher and Zelmyra Fisher got married. At the time of Mr. Fisher’s death on February 27, 2011, they had been wed for 86 years and 290 days.
Image source: guinnessworldrecords.com
#8
True love helped a commoner become the Queen of Norway.
Norway’s King Harald V swore never to wed again until he could wed the daughter of a cloth merchant, the woman he truly loved.
Image source: royalcourt.no
#9
Viking husbands gift cats to their brides before the wedding.
This was all done to honor the goddess of love Freyja. Legend says that Freyja rode a chariot lead by cats. Kittens were sometimes given to new brides as an essential part of setting up a new household.
Image source: norhalla.com, Borna Bevanda
#10
The frequency of headaches is halved when you’re in love.
When volunteers with persistent headaches were given a spray containing the “love hormone,” researchers found that 50% of participants said their headache pain was reduced by half after four hours and another 27% reported no pain at all during the same period.
Image source: headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
#11
Feeling loved in everyday life linked with improved well-being.
Researchers find that people who experience higher ‘felt love’ also have significantly higher levels of psychological well-being, which includes feelings of purpose and optimism, compared to those who had lower felt love scores
Image source: sciencedaily.com, Tigran Hambardzumyan
#12
Holding hand of the one you love will calm you down and reassure your nervous state of mind.
We look for signs that we are togerther. When those signals are absent, our bodies enter an alert state that sets off a stress reaction. Our bodies and brains can unwind and turn their attention to other issues once we notice those signs.
Image source: news.virginia.edu
#13
Recovering from a break-up is similar to kicking an addiction.
The areas of the brain that lit up after a breakup were also those linked to addiction to cocaine and nicotine, to physical discomfort and anguish, and to connection.
Image source: abcnews.go.com
#14
Being cuddled is healthy.
Because it is released when people cuddle or form social bonds, oxytocin is also referred to as the “cuddle hormone” or the “love hormone.”
Image source: livescience.com
#15
Intense eye contact can make you fall in love.
In a study, it was discovered that two minutes of eye contact between two people who had never had sex before might sometimes generate intense feelings for one another.
Image source: coopervision.com, andreas160578
#16
Attraction can be obsessive and is known as ‘Obsessive Love Disorder’.
OLD refers to a condition where you become obsessed with one person you think you may be in love with. You might feel the need to protect your loved one obsessively, or even become controlling of them as if they were a possession.
Image source: healthline.com, Chermiti Mohamed
#17
Couples that watch romance movies together have lower divorce rates.
Discussing the romantic movies after watching them reduced divorce rates for those couples from 24% to 11% after three years.
Image source: rochester.edu, cottonbro studio
#18
Love reduces chronic pain.
According to Arthur Aron, PhD, “It turns out that the areas of the brain activated by intense love are the same areas that drugs use to reduce pain.”
Image source: med.stanford.edu, Giulia Bertelli
#19
Men fall in love more quickly than women do.
Responses from 172 college students indicated that although both men and women believe that women will fall in love and say “I love you” first in a relationship, men reported falling in love earlier and expressing it earlier than women reported.
Image source: tandfonline.com, vjapratama
#20
The source of the word “love” has Indo-European root “leubh,” which roughly translates to “to care” or “to desire”. Words like the Latin lubet, “it pleases,” and the Sanskrit lubhyati, “he desires,” are derived from this origin. English words like “libido” and “belief,” which are linked to the word “love,” also descended from the root *lebuh.
Image source: thecrimson.com, Emre Can Acer
#21
Hugging your significant other instantly reduces stress.
Interpersonal touch can boost a hormone called oxytocin and also affect our endogenous opioid system.
Image source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, StockSnap
#22
Different parts of the brain are activated by love and lust.
According to research, specific portions of the brain, especially those traditionally linked to pleasure from food or sex, light up with lust.
Image source: jsm.jsexmed.org, meo
#23
It takes work to be compassionate, and it modifies your brain’s chemistry.
By decreasing the activation of our fear centers and increasing the activity of brain regions associated with empathy and good emotions, mindfulness and compassion practices strengthen the connections between our brains.
Image source: psychologytoday.com, bermixstudio
#24
Broken-Heart Syndrome, also known as Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, is the name given to the stress-related heart attacks that are seen in those who have just lost a loved one.
Image source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, cottonbro studio
#25
Women wearing red are more attractive to men and are more inclined to have in-depth conversations with them. Men are also unaware of the attraction that color has on them.
Image source: psych.ubc.ca, 99mimimi
#26
Hypopituitarism – the condition that doesn’t allow a person to feel the thrill of love.
Image source: link.springer.com, priscilladupreez
#27
A crush only lasts for a maximum of 4 months. If it exceeds, you are already in love.
Image source: factualfacts.com, yoyoqua
#28
Couples with similar facial features usually end up together.
People frequently choose partners who are similar to them for biological and sociological reasons. not simply physical appearance but also socioeconomic level, personality, and values.
Image source: cbc.ca, Juan Vargas
#29
“Love at first sight” is a real thing.
People genuinely claim to fall in love at first sight or as soon as they meet someone. There is a strong initial attraction that can develop into a romantic connection. One convincing argument is that people tend to have distorted memories, which makes it seem as though they fell in love right away.
Image source: psychologytoday.com, Asad Photo Maldives
#30
Philophobia is a fear of falling in love.
It could also be a fear of starting a relationship or a worry that you won’t be able to keep one going. Many people at some point in their lives have a small dread of falling in love. However, in severe instances, philophobia can make a person feel alone and unloved.
Image source: my.clevelandclinic.org, thehkphotocompany
#31
Every day almost 3 million first dates happen.
Image source: onlinedatingpost.com
#32
Keeping a pet together is beneficial for the relationship.
It will make it simpler for couples to handle stress. When you’re under stress, playing with and providing for a pet can be incredibly heart- and mind-healthy. Additionally, if the couple fights, the pet may serve as a stress reliever for them.
Image source: researchgate.net
#33
Phenylethylamine, or the ‘love drug’, can also be found in chocolate.
Image source: science.org.au
#34
The process of falling in love is much like the sensation of feeling addicted to drugs with the release of euphoria, including brain chemicals like dopamine, oxytocin, adrenaline, and vasopressin.
Image source: jsm.jsexmed.org
#35
Chemically, love is addictive.
Euphoria, cravings, reliance, withdrawal, and other addictive tendencies are frequently experienced by those in love.
Image source: ted.com
#36
Being honest is essential for a happy relationship since it not only prevents damaging trust breakdowns but also allows us to communicate our thoughts with the other person.
Image source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com
#37
Laughter and love go well together.
The proportion of the conversation spent laughing simultaneously with the romantic partner was uniquely positively associated with global evaluations of relationship quality, closeness, and social support.
Image source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com
#38
Love evolves over time in stages.
Image source: news.harvard.edu
#39
Love might lead you to act in ways you probably shouldn’t…
Following his daring prison break, Andrew Dekenipp was on his way to a bar in nearby Coolidge to meet up with his girlfriend.
Image source: edition.cnn.com
#40
Opposites attract is a myth.
In fact, research has shown that people who share similar interests and values are more likely to have successful relationships than those who do not.
Image source: culturedspace.org
#41
Dilated pupils reveal whether a person is attracted to someone.
The “love hormones” oxytocin and dopamine have an impact on pupil size. When you are attracted to someone romantically or sexually, your brain releases more of these neurotransmitters. Your pupils appear to enlarge as a result of this hormonal surge.
Image source: jstor.org
#42
Gladiator sweat used to be sold as an aphrodisiac.
The Romans thought that the blood and sweat of a gladiator may increase a person’s desire for sex. They made an aphrodisiac by combining sweat from a gladiator’s skin with olive oil, dirt, and other ingredients.
Image source: history.com
#43
Love can be found in the strangest places.
They tell you not to go looking for love – it’ll find you – and that’s never been more true than when reading through other people’s stories of how they met their other halves.
Image source: nellysdiary.com
#44
Love speeds up the healing process.
In one study of couples, physical wounds of those who showed the most conflict behavior healed 40% slower than wounds in those who weren’t in conflict. Other studies show that skin wounds may potentially heal faster when we enjoy positive social interaction.
Image source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
#45
Three love components are attraction, lust, and attachment. Each category is characterized by its own set of hormones stemming from the brain.
Image source: helenfisher.com
#46
Love doesn’t directly “happen” in heart. Brain indicate love and lead to changes in the heartbeats.
When romantic couples view photos of one another, brain regions involved in processing rewards, motivation, and emotion regulation become more active, according to MRI research.
Image source: frontiersin.org
#47
The deeper you love someone in a relationship, the stronger is your hatred for them if your relationship falls apart.
The results of the study showed that stronger love was more likely to be felt by those who were similar to the target individuals in terms of values and interests. Additionally, after the relationship ended, those who felt more love experienced more hate, indicating a connection between romantic love and hate.
Image source: frontiersin.org
#48
The heart has not always been a representation of love. The heart first became associated with love in the 1250s; prior to that, it stood for foliage.
Image source: ideas.ted.com
#49
High cortisol levels make a person “lovesick”.
The immune system can be weakened by excessive cortisol levels, which increases the risk of infection. Additionally, it increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and hypertension. In addition to affecting memory and brain function, excessive cortisol has also been linked to a possible reduction in brain volume.
Image source: medicalnewstoday.com
#50
The US legalized same-sex marriage in June 2015.
Image source: npr.org
#51
Speed dating was first created in 1999 by a Jewish rabbi.
Speed dating is a rapid-fire courtship concept that was created by Los Angeles rabbi Yaacov Deyo. Singles spend just a few minutes getting to know one another. It began as a tool to connect Jewish singles, but it has since become popular outside of the Jewish community.
Image source: originaldating.com
#52
The symbol of love is the red rose.
Legends surrounding the ancient Romans claim that the wealthy Romans connected beauty and love with the flowers from red roses.
Image source: venusetfleur.com
#53
There is a biological purpose to kissing.
Hormone Oxytocin released while kissing is particularly important in helping men bond with a partner and stay monogamous.
Image source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
#54
People are attracted to others based on their own self-worth.
The results of the study showed that participants’ romantic self-confidence served as a partially mediating factor in the links between self-perceived physical and facial beauty and self-confidence in appearance, which all strongly predicted self-esteem in both sexes.
Image source: journals.sagepub.com
#55
You spend less on medical visits when you’re in love.
One of the report’s most striking findings is that married people have fewer doctor’s visits and shorter average hospital stays.
Nobody quite knows why loving relationships are good for health. The best logic for this is that human beings have been crafted by evolution to live in closely knit social groups.
Image source: webmd.com
#56
As a relationship first begins, one reacts differently than they do when it develops into a long-term romantic commitment.
Image source: helenfisher.com
#57
Communication is the key to a successful relationship.
It allows you to effectively share feelings, opinions and expectations. Many people fail to communicate due to a fear of rejection or the fear that they’ll end up upsetting or even losing their partner, family members or friends.
Image source: betterhealth.vic.gov.au
#58
Falling in love hits the brain like cocaine does.
The same euphoric effect that cocaine users experience when they consume it also occurs when love influences intellectual parts of the brain.
Image source: medicalnewstoday.com
#59
52% of women admit that their husbands aren’t their soulmates.
Image source: today.com
#60
Some people fall in love with their captors – it’s called Stockholm Syndrome.
Image source: healthline.com
#61
Interracial marriage was legalized in 1967.
On June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court issued its Loving v. Virginia decision, which struck down laws that banned marriages between people of different races as unconstitutional.
Image source: constitutioncenter.org
#62
Henry VIII founded his own religion to divorce his first wife.
In 1534 however, Henry pushed through the Act of Supremacy. He and all of his heirs became the Supreme Head of the Church of England as a result of the Act. This meant that Henry was free to divorce Catherine because the Pope no longer had religious authority in England.
Image source: history.com
#63
Divorce runs in the family.
When compared to children who grew up in two-parent families, children of divorced parents are more likely to get divorced, and genetic factors are the main cause.
Image source: sciencedaily.com
#64
Love can make you lose weight.
Study found that one of the initial symptoms in the first stage of falling in love is the loss of appetite. This can lead to weight loss paired with a lack of productivity and increase in libido.
Image source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com
#65
A pleased heart is a healthy heart.
Compared to those who are single, divorced, or widowed, people who are married had decreased rates of a number of cardiovascular disorders. Before the age of 50, the association between marriage and a lower risk of vascular illnesses is particularly strong.
Image source: acc.org
#66
Handful of animal species practice true monogamy – defined as pair bonding between a male and female, which exclusively mate with one another, raise offspring together and spend time together.
Image source: beta.nsf.gov
#67
Your personality is positively influenced by being in a relationship.
One significant life event in young adulthood that has been found to trigger an age-related decline in neuroticism is entering into a romantic relationship.
Image source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com
#68
“Quality time” is not just a catchphrase.
Research suggests that being in a romantic relationship, interacting with one’s partner, and investing greater time into the relationship all predicted greater well-being. However, these effects were moderated by relationship quality.
Image source: journals.sagepub.com
#69
It’s okay if the butterflies disappear at some point.
That “first date feeling” is actually a chemical response. Over time, the feeling fades away naturally. You can re-create that feeling by doing something new for the first time with your partner
Image source: nbcnews.com
#70
Adventure can make you feel more in love.
When you try something new together, this will evoke feelings of happiness – you become excited, your adrenaline is pumping and your brain is high on dopamine. You feel happy and in love.
Image source: symbis.com
#71
People can manage their love for someone.
The study presents the concept of explicit love regulation, which it defines as the use of behavioral and cognitive strategies to change the intensity of current feelings of romantic love.
Image source: journals.plos.org
#72
Examples of “perfect love” shown in movies have a direct impact on the idealistic expectations of romantic love that people may continue to have.
The results indicated that 11–14-year-old girls with higher levels of parasocial interaction were more inclined to endorse idealistic romantic beliefs after watching High School Musical. In addition, the effect of watching a romantic movie decreased with increasing age.
Image source: tandfonline.com
#73
Eating something sweet can lead to heightened feelings of romance.
The researchers found that after getting a taste of sugar, participants who were single were more likely to envision more positive theoretical relationships.
Image source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
#74
You can fall in love in as less as four minutes.
The study involved a combination of four minutes of staring into each other’s eyes, and 90 minutes of intimate conversation using pre-determined questions. The participants ended up getting married. “When it comes to attracting a mate, it is absolutely true that first impressions last,” says Gurgenidze.
Image source: news24.com
#75
Men are more likely to say “I love you” first.
While people think women are more apt to say these words first, the actual empirical evidence, shows that men do it first—at a rate of about three-to-one.
Image source: abertay.ac.uk
#76
Greek believed that the fourth finger of the left hand had a vein that led directly to the heart. They called it – “vena amoris”. However, the claim is incorrect as almost all the fingers have a vein that leads to the heart.
Image source: laurapreshong.com
#77
Men fall in love on an average of 88 days.
Men wait just 88 days to utter the ‘L’ word to their significant other, whereas women wait almost double the amount of time (132 days).
Image source: maclynninternational.com
#78
Plato began the concept of soulmates.
In other writing, Plato described the soul mate as an immature notion, especially the idea of becoming one with another person.
Image source: humanities.byu.edu
#79
The hormone responsible for love is oxytocin.
As oxytocin is associated with trust, sexual arousal and relationship building, it’s sometimes referred to as the “love hormone” or “cuddle chemical.” Oxytocin levels also increase when you’re hugging someone and when you’re experiencing an orgasm.
Image source: my.clevelandclinic.org
#80
Love alters your sense of taste.
Even water tastes sweeter when you’re in love, new research finds. But not every emotion heightens the senses. Jealousy fails to bring out bitter or sour tastes, despite metaphors that suggest it might, researchers report.
Image source: scientificamerican.com
#81
Long distance love truly makes a relationship stronger.
LD couples engage in more adaptive self-disclosures and form more idealized relationship perceptions than do geographically close couples in the pursuit of intimacy across various interpersonal media.
Image source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com
#82
Love lowers your blood pressure.
Married individuals had greater satisfaction with life (SWL) and blood pressure dipping than single individuals. High marital quality was associated with lower ABP, lower stress, less depression, and higher SWL.
Image source: academic.oup.com
#83
Love increases your level of empathy and emotional awareness.
Research results indicate that generating feelings of social connection recruited a portion of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) implicated in thinking about both the self and others.
Image source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
#84
Online dating is actually effective.
62% of online daters believe relationships where people first met through a dating site or app are just as successful as those that began in person.
Image source: pewresearch.org
#85
People live longer because of love.
People in a relationship make better health choices when encouraged and supported by their partner. Smokers were 40% more likely to quit if their partner quit smoking too.
Image source: semanticscholar.org
#86
Early stage romantic love is associated with reduced daily cortisol production.
New lovers exhibited lower daily cortisol production and blunted CAR, suggesting that the initiation of a romantic bond attenuates the stress response. Observed social reciprocity and goal-directed partnership and reported commitment to the relationship were associated with lower daily cortisol.
Image source: link.springer.com
#87
True love leads to the release of cortisol, which can lower someone’s immune system response when they first fall in love.
Researchers say that it’s never been proven that love makes you physically sick, though it does raise levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that has been shown to suppress immune function.
Image source: news.harvard.edu
#88
When in love, both genders are affectionate, although men and women express love differently.
Rather than being more affectionate than their husbands, women mainly expressed love by being less antagonistic and more accommodating.
Image source: journals.sagepub.com
#89
People fall in love with someone similar to their loved one or parent.
This theory suggests that we can become psychologically conditioned to being attracted to a distinct parental personality type, with the accompanying need for love. This “imprinting” is the result of a combination of factors, including, perhaps most importantly, how we received love, intimacy, and security from our parent(s) or primary guardian.
Image source: scientificamerican.com
#90
Couples begin sharing personalities the longer they stay together.
Findings provide evidence for longitudinal personality synchrony over time within older adult couples. Further, concordance in neuroticism, extraversion, and openness predicted perceived spousal support, though there may be some gender differences in personality dynamics and relationship well-being.
Image source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
#91
The tradition of engagement rings began in 1477.
In 1477, Archduke Maximillian of Austria commissioned the very first diamond engagement ring on record for his betrothed, Mary of Burgundy. This sparked a trend for diamond rings among European aristocracy and nobility.
Image source: americangemsociety.org
#92
Matchmaking couples is a billion-dollar business in China.
Image source: afr.com
#93
Red Ginseng is probably the most powerful aphrodisiac.
It effectively treated erectile dysfunction in several human studies. Ginseng also improved sexual desire and arousal in both sexes.
Image source: livescience.com
#94
Equally attractive people do well together.
The study reported that partners most similar in physical attractiveness were found to rate themselves happier and report deeper feelings of love.
Image source: news.northwestern.edu
#95
Birth control alters women’s taste in men.
Women who take the Pill tend to choose as partners men who are less attractive and worse in bed but a sounder bet for a long-term relationship, according to an unusual study.
Image source: scientificamerican.com
#96
People marry for the most common cause, which is falling in love.
About nine-in-ten Americans (88%) cited love as a very important reason to get married, ahead of making a lifelong commitment (81%) and companionship (76%).
Image source: pewresearch.org
#97
Remarriage is growing in popularity.
Remarriage generally becomes more common with age—not surprising, given that it takes some time to enter into one marriage, exit that marriage and then enter into a subsequent one.
Image source: pewresearch.org
#98
Love is as much about scent as it is about appearance.
A range of chemosensory body odours can influence everything from a perceiver’s judgments of another person’s attractiveness, age, affect, health/disease status, and even elements of their personality.
Image source: cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com
#99
Love makes you brave.
When we express love for another person, we are focused on them. True love is a selfless act, so we are ready to do anything for the person we love, ignoring all our fears.
Image source: nature.com
#100
Men are quicker to fall in love and confess their love compared to women.
Men reported that they started thinking about “confessing love” in 97 days, whereas women took an average of about 139 days.
Image source: researchgate.net
#101
On average, people fall in love 7 times before getting married.
Seven may be an overstated number for real lovers. But for those who fall in love with every second person they have a crush on, the number might be less.
Image source: medium.com
#102
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Data shows that humans invest more in relationships when there is a risk of this relationship weakening.
Image source: technologyreview.com
#103
The phrase “tying the knot” originated from an ancient wedding tradition.
It binds couples together in matrimony by tying knots of cloth around their hands. And so two become one.
Image source: theculturetrip.com
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