Physical and Psychological effects of love free essay sample

Being in love is one of those life experieLnces that many people desire. Since ancient times, love has been the force that has motivated writers, such William Shakespeare who wrote o his famous play â€Å"Romeo and Juliet†, and painters such Vincent Van Gogh that incited by the love for Margot Begemann, one of his muses, to paint momentous paintings. Paris and Helen of Troy’s love lead to one of the most famous wars, The Trojan War. Because of love, Emperor Shah Jahan to built The Taj Mahal to perpetuate through the centuries his love for Mumtaz Mahal his favorite wife. Love does not recognize gender, color or race. Love can start a revolution in a person’s life. The main effects of falling in love can triggers remarkable physical and psychological responses in the human body. To begin with, love generates physical responses. When people fall in love, many effects are unknown. We will write a custom essay sample on Physical and Psychological effects of love or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People perceive that something good is happening in their lives. An effect of being in love is brain rejuvenation. An association between being deeply in love and levels of serum of nerve growth factor (NGF) has been found. As part of their research Dr. Boer, Buel, and Horst(2012) explained, what is this â€Å" Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophin involved in several processes, including survival, apoptosis, differentiation, and maturation of neurons†(p. 118). In other words The NGF is a protein that promotes the neuron’s growth. Dr. Sultan Tarlaci, member of the Neurology Intensive Care and Cognitive Neuroscience Group, researched people who were deeply in love to demonstrate that during this stage the NGF increases. The research showed that the levels of serum increased in people who were in love, and he cited: Serum levels were compared between people who were not in love and those who had been in love for a short time (the first six months) and for long time (49 months). Serum levels in the newly passionate lovers were found to be significantly higher than those of people who were alone and not in love (277 as against 149 pg/mL)- almost double. (p. 748). Hence, this research showed that NGF plays an important role in the first stage of being in love. Serum for the life’s neurons is important, then the increase of it during this period helps to maintain the neurons alive and the brain is enlightened (Tarlaci, S. 2012, and p. 749). People who fall in love, besides thinking about their beloveds usually experience a brain rejuvenation mostly during the first stage of love in their lives. In the same way, pain reduction is part of the physical revolution that being in love brings. Love can become a drug, according with some researches that show feelings of deep love can help to relief pain. With the increase of the NGF in people’s brain comes the resistance to pain reduction also. In his study about NGF and romantic love, PhD. E. Emmanuel from University of Pavia, Italy, (2011) found a link between decrease of painful stimuli and love, its vanished in subjects who were deeply in love (p. 267). A study has shown that at the beginning of the relationship is linked with this, Dr. Terlaci explained this in a study where fifteen people who were in their first stage of relationship participated, this study observed the effect of holding the hand of their beloveds. Their received the heat stimuli in their hand, then they reported they pain levels while they were looking the pictures of their beloveds. Seeing the picture of their boyfriends or girlfriends, reduced the participant’s pain ratings about one point (p. 749). Therefore people in a relationship tends to be more resistant to pain that those who are alone. People sometimes think that in order social support to make others feel better, it has to be the emotional support that is very responsive to their emotional needs. As can be seen, people seeing the picture of their beloveds can cause the same effect. Emotions have a vast impact in people who are in love, and over time have been observed how love has psychological effects. Being in love affects people’s behavior, euphoria is one of these feelings that people in love go through at the beginning. During the first phase of being in love high passion and euphoria are identified, however this phase last around six months (Boer, Buel, Horst, 2012, p. 123). Falling in love brings euphoria and happiness and at this point people are willing to give their lives for their beloveds (Tarlaci, 2012, p. 745). PhD Semir Zeki, at the University College London, and his colleagues, in 2004 published a study made with people who saw the picture of their beloveds, to see what happened in the brain in people in love. The result of the study was, they showed a great activity linked with euphoria and reward at the time the saw the picture. (Tarlaci, 2012, p. 745). Sometimes euphoria can be confused with madness, but because of this madness poets and artist have made master pieces. Under the effects of euphoria people feel able to conquer the world, enough strength to do what lies ahead in the future or take actions that they normally wouldn’t do. At the same time, when people are in love the sun seems to be more shiny; everything is viewed from optimistic perspective. From perspective of love, the glass with half of water, seems to be totally full, this is what happened when people are in love, everything seems better that it was before to being in love. The real perspective about realistic things is lost when people experience a high level of optimism in their lives. The love story of Helen of Troy and Paris is an example of optimism and lost of rational thoughts, in the name of love Paris started a war to defend his love (Zeki, 2007, p. 78). Dr. Sultan Tarlaci mentioned: When you are in love the rules of logic are not applied. Love comes in, and sense goes out the window. It is for this reason that people in love tend to take stupid and illogical risk (p. 746). A deactivation in areas o different cortical areas in contradiction of subcortical active areas in the brain cortex of people in love. Those areas that show de-activation are the prefrontal area. Prefrontal area in people is the most important for taking decisions and logical deduction (Tarlaci, 2012, p. 746). Everything looks in a pink color; people do not feel regrets about the decisions taken in the name of love, sometimes this emotion conduct to actions that before maybe were unthinkable for those who are in love. Rational or not, optimism leads mostly of the time a sensation of well being. To conclude, love will always arouse the deepest emotions in many people lives. Love bring advantages to people, enhances the brain to think better, helps to bear the pain, creativity and happiness, and optimism to life. Socrates commented: â€Å"The irrational desire that leads us toward the victorious in leading us toward the enjoyment of beauty and overpowers the judgment that directs us toward what is right, and that is victorious in leading us toward physical beauty when it is powerfully strengthened by the desires related to it, takes its name from this very strength and is called love†. (Zeki, 2007, p. 2578) Love is and will remain the inspiration and the strength to many people to do all the things that they had never before thought to be able to done before. Being in love awakes deep feelings in people and provokes changes in their minds and bodies.