Can science prove that romantic love can last? A new study compared the brains of long-term married and in love individuals with individuals who had recently fallen in love and discovered highly similar brain activity in regions associated with reward, motivation and "wanting" in both sets of couples. Psychologist Arthur Aron says, “We found many very clear similarities between those who were in love long term and those who had just fallen madly in love."
These results support theories proposing that there might be specific brain mechanisms by which romantic love is sustained in some long-term relationships. Now if only we could figure out how to TURN ON those brain mechanisms, there would be much less heartbreak in the world!
And if love DOESN’T last, another study discovered that men are more than twice as likely to continue dating a girlfriend who has cheated on them with another woman than one who has cheated with another man. Women show the opposite pattern: They are more likely to continue dating a man who has had a heterosexual affair than one who has had a homosexual affair.
If you love this website, then you know that every week, we dust off our microphone and bring you an extraordinary new radio show and Revelations podcast. But if you want them to keep coming, the path is clear: You can’t wait for someone else to do it, YOU need to subscribe today!
Subscribers, to watch the subscriber version of the video, first log in then click on Dreamland Subscriber-Only Video Podcast link.