Expressions like 'madly in love', 'crazy for you' and 'lovesick'
may be more accurate than we think. When we fall in love, our
brains experience an explosion of powerful chemicals. Some
scientists compare the initial stages of love to mental
illnesses like obsessive compulsive disorder and mania, the
manic phase of manic depression. Helen Fisher, believes we
evolved three systems related to matters of the heart: the first
deals with lust, the second with romantic love – also known as
attraction, obsessive love or 'being in love' – and the third
with attachment. Fisher's theory is that the three systems
motivate us, respectively, to mate, focus our attention on a
particular partner, and stick with that partner long enough to
look after the children we may have. Fisher discusses many of
the feelings of intense romantic love, saying it begins as the
beloved takes on "special meaning." Then you focus intensely on
him or her. People can list what they don't like about a
sweetheart, but they sweep these things asid