Babe, Is It Love or Lust?

love = the hottest drug you didn't know you took.

The Madness of Love and the Science That Explains It

Neurochemical

Effect in Relationships

Dopamine

Pleasure, euphoria, motivation to seek partner

Serotonin (low)

Anxiety, obsessive focus, intrusive thought

The High

Let’s be real — some of us are total suckers for love.

In those first, electric moments of connection, your brain floods with dopamine — the same neurotransmitter that sparks when you win, when you gamble, when you take a hit of something addictive.

Dopamine doesn’t just make you feel good. It makes you crave.

That’s why you can’t get enough. Every glance, every word, every moment together — it’s a hit. You want more.

The Obsession

But here’s the part no one tells you when you’re spinning in love’s orbit:

While dopamine soars, serotonin drops.

And that drop? That’s what turns infatuation into obsession.

Your brain chemistry — not your heart — is behind that delicious, maddening spiral.

The higher your dopamine, the lower your serotonin.

Low serotonin: Drives obsession—replaying moments, overanalyzing, and struggling to focus elsewhere.

Managing obsession: Low serotonin can cause irrationality—recognizing it helps couples avoid misinterpreting actions or overreacting.

- Neurochemistry

Why do some people fall in love faster?

People with lower baseline serotonin, or naturally more dopamine-sensitive brains, tend to be more susceptible to the emotional “rush.” It’s not just personality — it’s neurochemistry setting the stage for how strongly you feel that pull.

Meanwhile, others with more stable serotonin or less dopamine sensitivity may feel attraction, but stay more grounded or cautious in the early stages.

The Takeaway

If you naturally have lower serotonin levels…

You’re more likely to experience the intensity of early love more deeply, more quickly, and perhaps more obsessively.

For my girls out there…

The next time you feel yourself falling fast — like texting first (again), replaying every convo, or wondering if this is it

Pause. Breathe. Smile.

It’s not that you’re “too much.”

It’s your brain on love.

So flirt, have fun, fall (if you want)… Love can feel like magic, but you get to write the story — not just your brain chemistry.

Wait it out, honey. Don’t rush to make moves too fast.

Time is the real truth-teller of love — because those chemicals? They’ll fade, and what’s real will stay.

Love is magic. Love is madness. Love is molecules.

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