Fascinating things that happen to your body when you’re in love

Your brain activity changes instantly 

Love at first sight may exist after all: falling in love activates about 12 regions in your brain, according to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. The result? You can ‘know’ you’re in love within a fifth of a second.

Your heart stops (OK, slows down) 

Being in love affects your hormone levels, decreasing your blood pressure and heart rate.

You have trouble sleeping 

In at least one study, love-struck participants reported losing about an hour’s worth of sleep per night, according to the Journal of Adolescent Health. Why? Thinking about the object of your desire can literally keep you up at night.

Your aches and pains ease up 

Love activates the same neural receptors in the brain as pain-soothing drugs, according to a study from Stanford University School of Medicine.

You become forgetful 

When you’re smitten with someone, your brain releases oxytocin (often thought of as the love hormone), which can impair memory. So that’s why you’ve been so absent-minded lately.

Your jealous side comes out 

Turns out, you can’t help it if you get a little crazy when you see your S.O. talking to another woman: a recent study from Florida State University found that love can make a person overprotective of his or her partner.

You’ll think everything tastes sweeter 

Students in one study wrote about love, then sampled various foods and drinks. Regardless of what they tasted, they said everything had a sweet flavor, according to the American Psychological Association.

You become easily distracted 

Since you’re constantly thinking about your partner, being in love can hurt your ability to concentrate and focus on specific tasks. And that’s not just personal experience talking — a study published in the journal Motivation and Emotion proved it.

Your voice gets higher 

When women are speaking to men they find attractive, they often speak with a higher pitch, according to a study published in the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology.

Your bones become stronger 

Researchers found a correlation between happily married couples and better bone health. Hey, we’ll take it!