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Being head-over-heels changes you.
By Jen Glantz and Michelle Toglia — Written on Nov 13, 2022
Being in love makes us all walk around like giant goofballs. We're smiling for no reason. We're asking people how their days are just so they'll ask us back, and we can sigh and say things have never been better.
Love makes us wake up in the morning and want to get out of bed, say hello to the brutal morning, and be the greatest version of ourselves.
But as great as it makes it, it also makes us crazy.
It makes us pick up the phone and call someone 67 times on repeat until they answer and stop ignoring us (guilty), or say "I'm sorry" and "I love you" more times than we'd like. It makes us change our hair colors, and how we occupy our free time, and if anything, it changes our personalities.
This isn't something I've learned by observing the people around me — most of whom are engaged or married — or even observing myself. Sometimes, when I find myself all googly-eyed over a guy that makes my heart rise and fall, it's become a fact.
How love changes you, as well as the effects of love on the brain, have been the center of attention in a lot of studies.
And this research shows the tremendous impact love has on all of us.
Here are 9 ways love changes our personality:
1. You're a combination of happy and anxious
You may ask how it's possible to feel happy and anxious at the same time. But when it comes to being in love, any and all feelings at once are very possible.
According to one study, a person can feel happy when they're in love, but they can also feel anxious. Isn't that something?
2. You're addicted
If you've ever categorized love as an addiction you just can't kick, according to researchers, you may just be correct. It releases a feel-good chemical, similar to another other addiction that creeps into our lives.
3. You're capable of taking more risks
No matter if the person you love is two doors down or two countries away, the "addiction" we feel because of love makes us more driven to take risks in order to get to that person. Now you know the meaning of "I would do anything for love."
4. You're overprotective
A study from Florida State University found that love can make a person overprotective of his or her partner. You want your partner to always be safe and sound, so this makes complete sense.
5. You can't focus
If your mind begins to dance around in circles and even focusing on something ordinary makes you crazy, blame it on love. Being in love interferes with your brain's ability to stay on task, according to a study from the University of Maryland.
6. You're confident
To put it more simply: Love helps us to tackle life with more confidence, instead of seeing things pessimistically straight away.
7. If you're neurotic, you become stabilized
A study published in the Journal of Personality assessed how love has long-lasting effects on personality. They discovered that negative thinking can be unlearned.
After studying people considered to be neurotic, depressed, or anxious, researchers discovered that they become more stable in a loving relationship.
8. You don't judge
Ever wonder why your guy is so supportive of everything from your career choices to how you handle a disagreement with a friend?
Brain scans show that when someone is shown a photo of the person they adore, the part of the brain responsible for judgment, the frontal cortex, shuts down and they suspend all criticism or doubt.
9. You're smarter
Your brain on love is an intelligent one. Being head over heels triggers the brain's dopamine center, which boosts cognitive and motor skills.
In one study, subjects stared at a computer as names flashed across the screen quickly, and when the name of their significant other appeared, their ability to perform difficult tasks improved drastically.
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Jen Glantz is the founder of Bridesmaid for Hire, the author of two memoirs, and an energetic & crowd-moving speaker. Michelle Toglia is the Executive Editor at Elite Daily.