Ah, love at first sight… You know—that euphoric state when you meet someone new and feel as if the world suddenly stopped spinning? With one look, you feel as if you truly know this person and that he is definitely the one you’ll spend the rest of your life with. Divine.ca has put aside its fairy tale notions about this phenomenon to give you a lesson on the chemistry of love at first sight.

Its origins
The term “love at first sight” often, if not always, goes hand-in-hand with that famous mythical cherub, Cupid. He comes from Roman mythology and usually inspires love and sex by shooting arrows at unsuspecting individuals. It is supposedly to him that some people owe their euphoric state to, that feeling of an arrow through the heart.

Its biochemistry
The idea that an angel is behind love at first sight makes meeting someone new seem like magic or something out of a fairy tale. However, that is not the case and it actually has everything to do with hormones. When you’re ready and willing to fall in love, many chemical reactions take effect in your body: your sense of smell captures the pheromones emitted by the man, phenethylamine takes over your brain and dopamine kicks into action!

The 3 hormones
Let’s break down the technical jargon into what, exactly, the following hormones do:

Pheromones are chemicals that are produced by glands located in the underarms, around the nipples, and in the groin area. They are invisible and have no odor, and are captured by the vomeronasal organ, also part of the olfactory system. Two of the main sexual pheromones are androstenol, found in fresh male sweat, and copulin, found in vaginal secretions. They play a huge role on whether or not two individuals are attracted to one another.

Phenylethylamine (PEA) is a hormone responsible for the state of euphoria you get the moment you fall in love.  At that moment, you produce a large amount and its effects are on par with the feeling of a drug high or partaking in extreme sports. It has been shown that when two people fall in love, their PEA levels are the same. This explains partly why you can spend all night talking or making love. These hormones also activate hyperactivity and reduce your appetite.

Dopamine is triggered by the PEA and reinforces behaviour that gives you pleasure and satisfaction. When a happy event occurs, dopamine sends a signal to your brain which makes you feel as if you’re in a state of euphoria, in turn making you want to relive the experience. It is then that a feeling of “love” occurs. You can never get enough of seeing the other person!

Its dangers
Be careful: love at first sight is only temporary. This feeling of joy lasts only a brief period, as your body slowly gets used to the PEA. For some, this means the end of the couple and the search for another flame. Others can count on hormones like oxytocin and endorphins for the couple to have staying power and to find happiness without the euphoric sensation. These have the same effects as morphine, bringing calm, soothing pain and reducing anxiety. They are what help you live with another person, all the while retaining your own identity.

Of course, a loving relationship isn’t just a hormone-filled mathematical equation and, while its scientific background isn’t very sexy, it’s ultimately up to you whether you want the romantic explanation to supersede the logical one!