Cynics have long disputed the notion of everlasting love. But medical technology may prove them wrong, Britain's Sunday Times reports.
Researchers at Stony Brook University in New York state scanned the brains of couples who had been together for 20 years. About one in 10 of these couples, when shown pictures of their loved ones, had the same chemical reactions in the brain as newlyweds.
Prior studies had suggested that the intense "limerence" felt by new couples was virtually gone after a decade, the newspaper said.
The new study found that true love is born in the brain's "reward-seeking circuitry," not in the heart, as lore would have it. The scientists found that so-called "swans" who maintained an intensive love after two decades together tended to avoid anxiety and stress, shared most experiences, and had other common traits, including being generous, calm and deeply attached.
Sign up with Google