Although we always put the heart in the sentences describing love, the brain is the real ruler. So what is the role of the brain in the emergence and aftermath of emotions? Prof. Dr. Sultan Tarlacı told us...
Every February 14th, even if we ask "Is love shown only on one day?", even if we object to the show of love based on gifts by saying "These are the impositions of the capitalist order", even if we feel sad by saying "What about those who don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend?", even if we try to ignore the date of February 14th by jokingly saying "I'm married, what boyfriend or girlfriend?", at the end of the day, especially women take an inventory of the flowers, chocolates or gifts they receive and compare them with each other. Radios, televisions, advertisements, brochures have been giving their messages about love and affection for weeks and even continue to do so. We decided to look at love from another perspective and ask the expert whether love is the work of the heart or the brain. Our questions were answered by Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Neurology Specialist Prof. Dr. Sultan Tarlacı.
Can we scientifically prove whether someone is really in love with you?
Of course, there can be a test like "Does my spouse really love me passionately?", but this can be cheated. On the other hand, it is possible to determine love technologically. We can do it in half an hour with a functional MRI machine. Because all human behavior has a cerebral equivalent.
When we describe love, we show our heart or make a heart sign. Do we love with our heart?
Until the 1700s, when science developed, it was thought that the heart was the center that governs emotions and human beings. After the 1700s, it was understood that the brain is the main center that governs human beings. Therefore, until then, the heart was considered responsible for love and all other functions. The fact that functional MRI has been used in many fields since 2003 has aroused the curiosity of some brain scientists: "We see what part of the brain works when a person swallows, reads a book, watches a movie. Can we see what part of the brain is working when a person looks at the person they love?" And astonishingly, they found that certain areas of the brain glow brightly when a person in love looks at the person they love.
What happens in our brain when we fall in love?
While many parts of the brain light up during love, the work of the forehead brain region, which we call the "frontal region", weakens. The frontal region is the region that manages us to follow social rules, to evaluate the situation we are in, to develop new rules, to respect others. The same brain region also manages signaling long before turning right or left in traffic, and our long-term plans. In other words, it also comes into play in decision-making processes. When this region is underactive during the love period, the decisions made during that period are unhealthy. After that intense period passes, they say, "How did I do that?" When the love period is over, the mind is restored. This is the scientific equivalent of the saying that when love comes, reason goes, when love goes, reason comes.
IT WON'T LAST FOREVER
Does love necessarily end one day?
There is no final and lasting love. Studies show that there are some changes in human chemistry. Blood chemistry and psychological tests have shown that the most intense periods of love last 8 to 16-18 months. In very exceptional cases, there are people who live in passionate love for 20 years, but of course these are very unusual people.
How does love benefit us?
There is a hormone called NGF (Neuron Growth Factor), which is secreted from the brain and whose secretion decreases as we age, that grows nerve cells. The amount of this NGF was measured during the love period and it was seen that it increased two to three times higher than normal. This is a hormone that allows nerve cells to survive more, the connection between nerve cells to become more frequent over time, and to rejuvenate. When you put old nerve cells in an artificial environment and give them this hormone, you see that their structure rejuvenates. The same happens in the brain. So love rejuvenates the brain. The release of morphine-like substances in the brain increases during the period of soaking love. Therefore, sensitivity to pain decreases. When people are very happy, they feel less pain. But depressed patients feel a lot of pain.
Black love is a psychological disorder
Is love completely innocent?
Love is an obsessive condition. Because there is a disease we call Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which we can describe as "obsessive disorder disease". In OCD, a substance called 'serotonin transporter protein' decreases at a certain rate in the blood. If this substance decreases by three units in OCD, it decreases by five units during the period of infatuation. When you look at the world, dopamine underlies the producer of everything good. Dopamine is a neurochemical substance based on novelty seeking, production and pleasure. It has been shown that in the human brain, during passionate love, the brain is almost swimming in dopamine. That's why all the important love poems and music are always written during the period of soaking love.
