The Psychological Facts About Relationships Everyone Should Know

These psychological facts about relationships might shock you, but they certainly explain a lot about how you feel when you fall in love. 

The moment you set eyes on someone you like, everything changes. Not only do you start to feel things you may have never felt before, but you act in a way that may be a little out of character! It turns out that much of this is actually out of our hands. It’s down to our brains and the chemicals it releases. These psychological facts about relationships may open your eyes to how you feel and what you do when you form an attachment to someone. 

They say that love is blind, but is it really? And, when you get butterflies, what is really going on? It’s interesting to learn about, and while it won’t take the mystery and fun out of being in a relationship and how it makes you feel, it will give you a greater sense of understanding! 

[Read: 23 facts about love that will definitely blow your mind]

The must-know psychological facts about relationships 

#1 There are three stages to love. The first of our psychological facts about relationships explains the three stages of stranger to lover. First, you experience lust. This is a strong and sometimes overwhelming feeling which is often confused for love. Secondly, you form an attraction to that person, and you want to get to know them better. Finally, you form an attachment and fall deeply in love. Of course, for some, this attachment doesn’t last. However, it doesn’t make the love any less valuable and precious. [Read: How long does it take to fall in love? The answer to know for sure] 

#2 Lust is actually a deep desire to have children! Whether you realize it or not, and whether you actually want children or not, lust is actually driven by the need to get it on and reproduce. It’s a deeply rooted reaction and probably quite outdated. But it goes back to the days of the cave people, when reproducing was vitally important for the survival of the human race! [Read: How to manifest love: The steps to draw in your best love life]

#4 Attraction and obsession are pretty similar. You might think the word ‘obsession’ is a little strong, because we link it with stalkers and out of character behavior. However, it turns out that when you’re really attracted to someone, your brain shows the same patterns as when you’re obsessed with someone or something!

That goes a long way to explaining why when you first meet someone and you are attracted to them, you get butterflies, and everything seems super-exciting and fun. 

#5 You’re not imagining it, attraction really does make you less hungry. Everyone has heard the saying that when you’re falling for someone, you can’t eat, you can’t sleep, and you can’t think about anything else for a long period of time. It turns out that the eating part at least is true! In the attraction stage, your brain releases norepinephrine and also dopamine. This combination can actually lower your appetite. 

#6 Loving chocolate is a little like falling in love. You know how when you have one square of chocolate, it’s just not enough? Then, you go on to eat the whole bar? There is a reason behind that, and it’s one of the psychological facts about relationships too! It turns out that phenylethylamine, a hormone released by the brain when you fall in love is also one of the ingredients in chocolate. Explains a lot, right? [Read: The sexy benefits of being a chocolate lover]

#7 Say NO to drugs, you can get the same high from falling in love. We all know that drugs are a huge no-no, but did you know that when you fall in love, it’s almost the same high feeling as eating cocaine? I told you these psychological facts about relationships might shock you! A recent study showed that the chemical brain patterns of someone who has taken cocaine are pretty similar to someone who experiences all the butterflies of falling in love. 

#8 Your heart isn’t to blame, it’s your brain. We think that falling in love is all about the heart. But it’s actually not got a lot to do with it. Yes, it plays a part, but your brain does all the hormone releasing and controls the way you feel and act to a large degree. The whole heart thing is basically a marketing ploy. The shape of a heart is far prettier to put on packaging than the brain!

#9 Love really can make you do the weirdest things. We always joke that people in love are a little stupid, but there is actually some science behind it. When you fall in love, you leave your judgement skills at the door to a degree and it can cause you to do things you wouldn’t normally do. Your sense of rationality takes a hit, and instead, you’re focused on getting it on! [Read: What is true love? 22 signs of love to know if your love is real]

#10 Your heart beats in sync with your partner’s. When you’ve been together awhile, it’s entirely possible that your hearts beat in sync with one another. We’ve all heard about menstrual cycles being mirrored between friends who spend a lot of time together. It seems that lovers and heart beats work in the same way. Cute, right? 

#11 Skip the painkillers and cuddle instead. Have a headache? Here’s a psychological fact about relationships that can fix that for you! A natural way to avoid the pain is to grab your loved one and have a good old cuddle! Oxytocin, the love hormone, is responsible for reducing pain. It’s also the hormone that’s all about bonding people together. When you cuddle your partner, oxytocin is released and the pain should start to dull and go away. [Read: How to cuddle someone – A guide to cuddle up and feel the love]

#12 Having a broken heart is actually a thing. Love doesn’t really have a whole lot to do with the heart, it’s more about the brain. But when a relationship doesn’t go according to plan and you break up, a broken heart is actually real. Of course, it’s not broken as in it’s not going to work anymore, but you will feel pain in that area and it can damage your heart too. This is known as Broken Heart Syndrome. When this happens, the release of hormones goes haywire and can actually work against you rather than for you. That’s when you may experience pain in the chest and difficulty breathing. [Read: Can you die from a broken heart? 15 answers you didn’t expect]

These psychological facts about relationships should go a long way to explaining why we feel so out of control when someone new comes into our lives. You feel like the reins have been taken away from you, right? Well, that’s down to hormones and working your way through the three stages of falling in love!

You may not actually make it to the love part. A million and one things can happen between the start and the actual arrival at the “L” word. But if you do, you’re sure to go through a range of reactions, feelings, and actions. Nobody could ever blame love for being a bore. Even though it hurts at times, love really is one of the most amazing experiences in life. 

[Read: How to know if you’re in love and it’s not just butterflies you’re feeling]

So, when you fall in love and you start to do things you would never have done before, check back on these psychological facts about relationships and everything should slot into place.