'An electric jolt to the body:' The psychology behind love at first sight
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The day has passed and now comes the afterglow of Valentine's Day.
Say you just met someone, there's a special tingle and you're wondering - is this love at first sight?
Well, is there even such a thing?
Putting a definition on the feeling is tough, but as it turns out, there are physiological and biological explanations that we can understand.
So, let's get it out of the way right off the bat.
"Love at first sight is a real phenomenon," said Dr. Susan Albers, a psychologist with the Cleveland Clinic. "Over 60-percent of individuals indicate that they have felt love at first sight at one point in their life."
Dr. Albers said there's a good reason why we call it "good chemistry."
"Once we become aware of that attraction, all of a sudden, our bodies become flooded with dopamine, that pleasure neurotransmitter, and oxytocin, the chemical that makes us feel close and bonded to other people," she explained.
It's not just a subtle feeling, either. Dr. Albers described it as "an electric jolt to the body."
She said most of us think love comes from the heart and while that might be what the cards say, it's really your prefrontal cortex.
"It's the part of the brain that makes decisions," she said. "When we see someone, we instantly know within six seconds if we're attracted or not."
She did caution against making big decisions based on that jolt alone.
"It's important to slow it down," Dr. Albers said. "Evaluate if you match up in terms of your values, your hobbies. These are things that create a lasting love and a strong foundation."
That's based on Cornell psychologist Robert Sternberg's "Triangular Theory of Love."
That triangular theory includes intimacy, passion, and commitment. According to Dr. Albers, love at first sight is only one aspect of the triangle - passion.
So before you're swept away by this love at first sight, Dr. Albers said that it may just be more infatuation and attraction - a better way to describe this phenomenon.
In other words, step back, count to ten, and evaluate the connection. Then get to know the person before you dive off the deep end.