According to scientists, every romantic love is over after 1.5 years

When you just get to know each other, the scent of roses and moonlight still exuberantly radiates with joyful kisses. Disgustingly annoying, yes.

They are all little particles
You find each other oh so handsome, oh so sweet, oh so fun and nice and more of that. You see rainbows and glitter, you believe in finding the one, you believe in love, you love each other, you skip through the day. But yes, at some point you will crash down from that huge pink happy love cloud. And that might happen faster than you think. According to scientists, you are definitely no longer in love after a year and a half. As in: every romantic infatuation is technically no longer possible.

That’s because your brain can’t produce all those intense hormones and substances for much longer that make you feel that intense infatuation you feel. Neurotransmitters come into play when you are smitten. Vasopressin, just to name one. And your brain produces more oxytocin: this drastically increases when you orgasm. Good sex always leads to a deep bond – in your brain, at least. And then you have endorphins. They make you feel safe and good, calm and loved. More dopamine is also released when you are madly in love. That causes the euphoric feeling when you are in love, that passionate, intense flutter in your stomach all day when you think of that person. It’s addictive. You want more. You want to stay over with that person, night after night, live together, make babies… And then all those oh so sweet substances disappear from your brain again.

Nice romance
It’s a good thing too, because otherwise you wouldn’t be able to function well in society for very long. You need to have a bit of focus on what you do in daily life. If you only see hearts, that won’t work. You’ll be too distracted. So it’s not surprising that most relationships fail after three years: the substances are gone. After a year and a half already, but after three years it’s definitely over. But no panic, you romantic that you are. The beauty of true love is: if you have produced enough oxytocin and dopamine and have that foundation, then you can continue to love someone after that infatuation. And the endorphins? They stay. Endorphins can be produced for much longer than dopamine; that explains why love can last so long and infatuation is relatively short.

Well, if you are still hopelessly head over heels: enjoy it. It only lasts a little while. Sorry.