Health and Psychology

Being in love can minimize the impact of pain.  When people are in this passionate, all-consuming phase of love, there are significant alterations in their mood that are impacting their experience of pain,” said Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Pain Management, associate professor of anesthesia and senior author of the study on pain and love from stanford University Medical Center, published online Oct. 13 in PLoS ONE. “We’re beginning to tease apart some of these reward systems in the brain and how they influence pain. These are very deep, old systems in our brain that involve dopamine — a primary neurotransmitter that influences mood, reward and motivation.”

The early phase of passionate love leaves people feeling euphoric.  Love induced analgesia uses the same reward centers in the brain that drugs like opium and cocaine tap into.  Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that is involved with our feeling good in this type of way.

So as people start to fall in love in the first 9 months of their relationship, they have this intense surge of neurochemicals that helps them stay connected, reduce physical complaints, and seek out the presence of the other for bonding.

Positive emotions in general appear to correlate with overall improved health outcomes.  So the experience of falling in love, being happy, having humor and joy on a routine basis, all support less pain, less fatigue, and create a better overall improved sense of well-being.