Love Really is Blind

I just read the October, 6 edition of Newsweek and found a very fascinating article about human brain written under the 'Health for Life' column. The article reveals that scientific studies have proved that emotions, pain, sexual feelings, love and religious belief are actually products of our brain. However, the finding about one of the brain products: love, amazes me most. Here is the extract about it taken from the article:

"And there is scientific evidence that love really is blind; romantic love turns down or shut off activity in the reasoning part of the brain and the amygdala. In the context of passion, the brain's judgment and fear centers are on leave. Love also shuts down the centers necessary to mentalize or sustain a theory of mind. Lovers stop differentiating you from me."

So, the famous qoute "Love is Blind" has a very literal meaning. It is not a metaphor anymore!

Sharing is the real love

Note: Photo taken during my visit to Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition (MAHA) 2008 in Serdang, Selangor few months ago

Amygdala - a cluster of nerve cells sits under its corresponding temporal lobe on either side of the brain. Like a network hub, it coordinates information from several sources. It collects input from the environment, registers emotional significance and when necessary mobilizes a proper response. It gets information about the body response to the environment from the hypothalamus. It communicates with the reasoning areas in the front of the brain and it connects with the hippocampus, an important memory center. (This description of amygdala is also taken from the same article)