Falling in love affects our daily routines beyond filling our schedules with date nights and exchanging sweet text messages. In the earlier stages of a relationship, you might find that your appetite has shrunk. How does love have this effect?
Oxytocin Suppresses Your Appetite
When you’re falling in love your body releases hormones that suppress your appetite. Researchers at Harvard Medical School conducted a study that looked at the eating patterns of 25 young men, ranging in weight. One half of the group was given oxytocin nasal spray, and the other half were given a placebo prior to eating. The oxytocin spray is meant to mirror what happens when we’re falling in love. Oxytocin, referred to as the “love hormone,” is a hormone that’s released in our brain during pleasurable activities.
When participants were given large meals after receiving their nasal spray, researchers found that the ones who received oxytocin ate less. Their metabolic levels were boosted as well. While the study could use further research (the participants were only men), it gives us some insight on why we lose weight when we’re in love. The feel-good rush of emotions and excitement take over and trigger hormones, such as oxytocin, that suppress our appetites.
Forgetting To Eat
Another reason you might be eating less is that you simply forget to eat. You’re fueled by the happiness this person is adding to your life and you forget that you need actual food to keep you going. If you find that you’re losing weight when you’re in a new relationship, without even trying, now you know why that could be. It’s all rooted in the oxytocin released in your brain thanks to pleasurable moments with your new significant other.
