Lust is a pleasant, passing urge that strikes us at any time. Woman with gorgeous deep cleavage in the lift: lust! Man with deep, seductive voice at the bank: lust! But love is a different thing, a lasting bond that has been compared to an addiction.
It's not surprising that a new Canadian study has shown that lust and love live in different parts of the brain. Lust shares its place in our brains with the other urges that giving us pleasure, like eating food. It's a very specific goal that we are chasing, and once it's satisfied, we move on – with a happy grin on our faces.
Love, on the other hand, shares a space in our brains with the area where drug addiction lives. It's a more complex, less goal-oriented brain activity.
But lust and love don't always act completely independently. Satisfying our lust can lead us to want to repeat the experience, and the habit that is formed can lead us into a lasting desire. Might as well face it, we are well and truly addicted to love!
(Health24, June 2012)
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