You’ll Never Believe What Can Make You Fall in Love

Some people fall in love because of someone’s looks, or how someone makes them feel. Many people say they fall in love at first sight, but this isn’t exactly what they were talking about. According to scientists, eye contact can make you fall in love.

A research study dating back to 1989 conducted by psychologist Arthur Aron proves this fact. He made people sit opposite one another, staring into each other’s eyes and asking a series of questions. They were asked to stare into each other’s eyes for four minutes while those questions were being asked. So what happened after the study? After few days, one of those couples got married and invited the entire crew who participated in the experiment.

This study has been getting a lot of attention the last few years, ever since the NYT covered it in its newspaper along with the “36 Questions that Lead to Love.” A few examples include “What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?”, “If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.” , “Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.”, and “Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.”

Additional research confirms that eye contact is a dominant stimulator of love and affection. Direct eye contact increases the production of a chemical called phenylethylamine. This has been dubbed the “happy hormone”, and influences the production of dopamine and serotonin. How does this happen?

A Japanese study indicates that eye contact actually makes the brain activity between two people start to sync up…which is why when you’re looking deeply into someone’s eyes you start to feel like you’re getting “lost”. 90 people were paired up had their brain activity scanned using an MRI. The study found that people coordinated their blinking and excited part of the brain that impacts inhibition. The outcome indicates that a related eye contact coerces two people into a particular hooked up system.

So, if you want the secret to long-lasting love, or to get someone to fall in love with you, get them to look deeply into your eyes…and hold it. This will make you feel closer than ever, and fall in love all over again (or for the first time!)