Scientific confirms: love is a drug

Researchers have found evidence that the brain chemistry responsible for addiction also plays a role in &to=http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/90/359/15901_potion.html' target=_blank>love. Pop stars have been claiming love is a drug for years. Now, scientific research has proven them right.

Both involve the messenger chemical dopamine, which stimulates the brain's "reward centre". It is partly because of dopamine that we want to return to a source of pleasure, such as good food or sex.

Dopamine also acts to keep a &to=http://english.pravda.ru/world/2002/01/19/25861.html' target=_blank>drug addict hooked on cocaine or heroin. And, new research suggests, it helps one person to fall head over heels for another.

Researchers in the United States studied Prairie voles, which are well known for forging long-lasting monogamous bonds with their mating partners.

More than almost any other animal, Prairie voles show signs of falling in love. Pair bonds between male and females form after a single mating encounter, reports Daily Mail.