The chemical reaction called LOVE.

The ever so old question about the strange, but yet fascinating word that we just can't seem to live without.. what is love?

What does it look like? 

How can you describe it to someone who has never felt such a confusing emotion? 

How do you even know if it's real?

I'll tell you what love is....
Norepinephrine + Dopamine + Oxytocin + Serotonin = Love.

I am in no way a hater of love; I love love. But I think it's important to understand why we feel this emotion and how to tell if it's the real thing. I fail to believe that when two people who have absolutely nothing in common, have extremely opposite personalities and no mutual goals or future desires; can romantically fall in 'love' and live happily ever after.

It just doesn't work that way. It's called compatibility, folks.

Norepinephrine (a.k.a Adrenaline): Important for the initial stages of 'falling for someone'. This chemical activates increased heart rate, makes you sweat and creates the feeling of so called 'butterflies in your stomach'.

Dopamine: The neurotransmitter widely known for initiating the feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, desire and infatuation. Because of these feelings, people will repeat the behaviors that cause the release of dopamine, to feel good. This hormone, as an example, is released during orgasm.

Oxytocin: Known as the 'cuddling hormone', this chemical is responsible for the connection and bonding feelings with a sexual partner, or someone that makes you feel special. Studies have shown that women produce more of this chemical, which could be why, to the general public, is seems woman establish a connection faster and become 'clingy' more than men. It is also found in women's breast milk, helping to create a bond between baby and mother.

Serotonin: People who are experiencing all of the above reactions, actually have lower serotonin levels, which in fact makes us less able to concentrate and stay focused. Therefore, giving us the feeling of 'I can't get them off my mind'.

In my life, I believe I have experienced five different types of love.

1. The love I have for my family and friends
2. The love for my cat, who I consider to be like my twelve year old child
3. The love for one ex-boyfriend who financially supported me and was (at the time) the vision of the kind of guy I thought I wanted to be with, and your typical first serious teenage relationship
4. The love for my most recent ex-boyfriend who I was once helping supporting (so completely different to the previous partner), dissimilar style and beliefs compared to the predecessor, could make me laugh uncontrollably, and was only one of two people that has ever been able to tickle me
5. The love for travel and adventure

Love cannot be described as a distinct feeling or meaning, for every love is different with it's own attributes. When it comes to crunch time, put aside all the feelings of obsession, butterflies and giddiness. The reactions I spoke about above, can happen with any person, but a real connection does not.

But hey, what do I know right? Screw science, I'm single.