October 14, 2010 | Sarah

I’ve always thought love is magical and now research reveals that love is a natural painkiller. Well, it works the same way in the brain.

While gazing at their loved one people reported feeling less pain than when looking at a friend. Brain scans showed increased activity in areas associated with pain response as well as in those that produce the feel-good chemical dopamine.

Pretty powerful stuff, but I can’t help feeling that dissecting love reduces the magic.