Scientists discover why being in love 'scrambles' our brains

For years, scientists have been uncertain as to why we feel we can't quite think straight when it comes to being in love. We essentially become 'blinded by love.'

However, as much as over 70% of us experience the feeling of love worldwide - according to The Atlantic - the mechanisms and evolution behind romantic love are still poorly understood.

Adam Bode, a PhD student at The Australian National University, explains what scientists do know up to now.

Bode explained: 'It is thought that romantic love first emerged some five million years ago after we split from our ancestors, the great apes. We know the ancient Greeks philosophised about it a lot, recognising it both as an amazing as well as traumatic experience. The oldest poem ever to be recovered was in fact a love poem dated to around 2000 [BCE].'

In a journey to find out the science behind the power of love, Bode teamed up with Dr. Phil Kavanagh, of the University of Canberra and the University of South Australia.

Scientists discover why our brains feel scrambled when we're in love / Alina Rudya/Bell Collective / Getty

The duo conducted a study involving 1,556 young adults who referred to themselves as being "in love" and assessed the participants' feelings and behaviour toward their partners.

Then, a second stage of the study focused on 812 from the same sample group. This subgroup reported being in love for no more than two years, and the study looked into the intensity of their early romantic love.

The research aimed to investigate the role of the behavioural activation system (BAS) in romantic love, a mechanism that promotes behaviours leading to a reward.

Kavanagh discovered that the experience of romantic love is a complex interaction of hormones in the brain, creating that 'fuzziness' we feel.

The authors explained that, although BAS is 'evolutionarily old,' romantic love makes use of this system in a 'novel way.'

When individuals are in love, there is a surge of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the brain's reward system.

A rush of hormones enters the brain when we experience early romantic love / Carol Yepes/ Getty

Alongside this, hormones such as oxytocin and vasopressin, which are involved in attachment and social bonding, also play a role during romantic love.

'Essentially, love activates pathways in the brain associated with positive feelings,' they added.

The study also confirmed that the brain operates differently during early romantic love, with thoughts and actions revolving primarily around the new romantic partner.

So, it's probably best not to make important life decisions around this point if one can help it.

Bode and Kavanagh are now optimistic about taking their research to the next level.

By analysing the different approaches to love in men and women, their goal is to create a worldwide survey that categorises individuals experiencing love into four distinct groups.