Falling in love has a lot of symptoms. It not only gives you the giggles, the good kind of feverish feeling, and the in-the-clouds sensation. New research revealed that it also has a direct effect on a woman's genetics.
Researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles looked deeper into the link between falling in love with someone and the human genome to determine what causes the physical sensations brought about by the emotion. The scientists wanted to find out if there is an underlying reason why people who are in love experience palpitations and become obsessive thinkers and suspect that it has something to do with genetics.
To test their assumptions, they took blood samples of 47 young women as they go through new relationships over the course of two years. Researchers analyzed genetic changes in those who fell in love and discovered that when the feeling strikes, women were not just affected psychologically but also physically.
The scientists found out that falling in love with someone causes the genes to produce interferon, which is a protein that is usually released to fight viruses. Falling in love is then linked to the immune system's response to release the protein.
As with those who fell in love, the researchers also looked into the genetic changes among those who fell out of love. They discovered that the level of interferon shifted. There is a reduction in the release of the protein in the genes of these subjects. The scientists claim the production likely decreases as the relationship matures.
"Some research suggests that physiological changes associated with romantic love may be attenuated as the relationship matures ... the biological correlates of love might abate with the maturation of a longer-term more stable mate bond."
The scientists have not come up with a clear reason behind the "up-regulation" of interferon in women. They pointed out though that it is likely to prepare their bodies for impregnation. The researchers then concluded that falling in love is one of the potent experiences in human life that can bring about psychological effects. The scientists focused on new romantic love that is not only accompanied by psychological changes but genetic changes too. The researchers plan to investigate next how falling in love with someone affects the male human genome and whether the effect follows a similar transcriptional shift with that of the women.
