Love is more than just a feeling.

A recent study published in the online Public Library of Science One journal found love works similarly to a painkiller and lessens physical pain.

The study tested 15 Stanford University students in the first nine months of their relationships by making them bring in six photos: three of their partner and three of an attractive friend. The researchers heated the subjects’ palms to give them a moderate or high degree of pain and showed them either the picture of their partner or their friend while an MRI observed brain patterns.

Arthur Aron, a psychology professor at the State University of New York Stony Brook, and Sean Mackey, an associate professor of anesthesia at the Stanford University Medical Center, conducted the study.

In the second part of the study, the researchers noted the effect of mental distraction on the subjects, which previous studies have revealed reduces pain. While the subjects’ palms were heated again, the researchers forced them to do tasks, such as name all the sports that do not require a ball.

The results revealed the photo of the partner and the distraction tasks seemed to reduce pain evenly: 36 percent to 45 percent for moderate pain and 12 percent to 13 percent for high pain. The photo of the friend was found to have no effect.

Both helped to distract the subjects, but an MRI scan showed different sections of the brain were used, depending on the distraction. When the subjects were distracted, higher thinking parts of the brain were used. When looking at the picture of their partner, more primitive parts of their brain related to urges and cravings were used.

Evan Brudney, a freshman education major, said he is not surprised with the results of the study.

‘When you love someone, you feel a sense of comfort,’ he said. ‘When you see that person, that’s all you focus on. Love has that effect on people.’

Andrew Gorczynski, an undecided freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he believes being in love is hard to describe, but thinks it is powerful enough to reduce physical pain.

He said he thinks the modern view of love is different from how it has been viewed in the past. He said it seemed more often today people casually say ‘I love you’ without having the strong feelings shown in the study.

‘Love has been desensitized,’ he said. ‘People say ‘I love you’ early on the relationship, and people say ‘I love you’ jokingly.’

Despite the casual idea of love today, it is still something young people are serious about. Alexis Lam, a freshman math major, said it is not impossible to find love on a college campus.

‘I do not think it is harder to find love in college,’ he said. ‘People have been telling me most students just want to fool around in order to get the most out of college, but I know when you meet the right one, then you will settle down.’

Love is more than what is talked about in pop songs or movies, Lam said.

‘There is not a single descriptive word you can use for love,’ he said. ‘It’s definitely the best time you will ever experience, even if it ends up terribly. Don’t trust what the pop songs, movies or literature tell you about love, but experience it yourself.’

cabidwel@syr.edu

 

Published on October 18, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Colleen: cbidwill@syr.edu