Very Interesting – July-August 2019

1. You feel happier
   Your brain releases more of the hormones
   dopamine and oxytocin. These feel-good
   chemicals give a euphoria similar to the
   effects of cocaine.


2. Jangling nerves
   Adrenaline and norepinephrine also cause
   more physical symptoms of stress around
   your crush, including sweaty palms, a
   fluttering heart and a dry mouth.


3. Wide eyes
   The autonomic nervous system – which
   regulates the body’s unconscious actions –
   is deeply connected to the arousal centres
   of your brain. When you see someone
   attractive, your pupils automatically dilate.


4. You feel less pain
   A 2010 study at Stanford University found
   that staring at a photo of someone you’re
   deeply in love with reduces moderate pain
   by 40%.


5. You’re possessive
   Another hormone produced by the loved-up
   brain is vasopressin. Studies in animals show
   that this chemical increases the sense of
   attachment and territoriality.


6. One-track mind
   Elevated levels of adrenaline and norepinephrine
   hormones, coupled with lower serotonin, make
   you anxious and can cause a sensation of
   obsessive focus on your love interest.

What happens in my body when... I fall in love?

IN NUMBERS

The recorded speed of a tawny

nurse shark foetus as it swam

from one uterus to another

(sharks have two uteruses).

8 cm/sec

The age, in months, that

babies need to be before they

can recognise faces

in profile view.

6

N

o, they just have different fragrances and packaging. The

chemicals that do the hard work are generally the same.

Deodorants target bacteria with antibacterials, while

antiperspirants reduce sweat levels with aluminium- or zirconium-

based chemicals. These react with sweat to form polymer plugs that

prevent perspiration escaping from sweat glands. Body odour

develops when bacteria on our skin start to break down sweat using

enzymes. According to Swiss research, bacteria feasting on male

sweat produce higher levels of a cheesy, rancid chemical called

3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid (HMHA). Meanwhile, female

sweat provides more of the sulphur-rich 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-

1-ol (MSH) chemical, reminiscent of onions and tropical fruit.

Is there any chemical difference between

women’s and men’s antiperspirant?

Gavin Hunt, Pretoria

L

ove is mostly a biological trick that evolution plays on you to
encourage you to reproduce effectively. Those memories of your
fantastic first date that are burned forever into your brain? You can

blame that on the extra proteins in your bloodstream that

encourage new neuron connections in your brain when you’re in

love. But that’s not all...