Butterflies In Your Stomach And Other Common Physical Feelings When You’re In Love

Love is truly a fascinating and complex subject that involves how we bond with one another and how those bonds get us ready for a lifetime of commitment, whether it be the form of familial, platonic love, or romantic love.

Romantic love is especially interesting as it is one that can result in a wide variety of outcomes that leave us wondering, "How did I end up feeling like that?" The brain is at the center of all this activity and dictates how we fall in love with people, and how we experience that. Sometimes we may have a small crush or a basic physical attraction, and other times we may find ourselves head over heels for someone else, willing to do absolutely anything and everything to enter a relationship with them. What is truly interesting is how it affects us physically, like having butterflies, and how we can seemingly sense that we feel strongly towards another individual. If you are interested in learning more about how the body reacts when faced with something as strong as love, here is a guide to some of the physical feelings that are commonly experienced by most individuals.

The Connection Between Love and Sexual Attraction

The most obvious physical feeling that will present itself aggressively is that of sexual attraction. When we feel strongly for someone, sex is typically intertwined in those feelings in some capacity. Some people will argue that this is not true love, but the fact of the matter is that things are not that simple, and that often sex and romance are found alongside each other. As such, you may experience feelings of sexual attraction if you do love someone; and often, you have to gauge whether you are simply experiencing sexual attraction for an individual, or if there is something more there. But this does not necessarily mean that you can't distinguish between the two, or have one without the other. Some research shows that romantic love can be experienced on its own, and that sexual attraction and it are independent of each other—and that they may or may not be experienced with each other.

Other Common Physical Effects That You May Experience 

There are plenty of physical symptoms, such as the feeling of butterflies, and this is because it often releases a ton of chemicals that affect the body. Some of these physical symptoms often include the following.

Love: What's The Meaning Of Feeling The Butterflies In Your Stomach When You Are With Your Partner

Feeling High

For most people, being in love with someone might feel as though they are on a drug or experiencing a high. As such, people will go to great lengths for the ones they care about, and may exhibit strange behaviors as a result of experiencing such feelings. The reason? It turns out that love is very much a drug in its own right.

It turns out that feelings of love affect the same parts of the brain that light up when addictive substances are used, and this happens for a very important reason. When experiencing intense romantic love, two sections of the brain are activated, and these two centers are responsible for the association with pleasure and the recognition of pleasurable and life-sustaining activities. This means that love fills you with pleasure and joy-inducing chemicals, and encourages you to maintain that attachment, as this was often important for the survival of early humans.

What to Do Next?

For many, the next question will be, what am I supposed to do next? Generally, if you are not already in a relationship with the person that you love, you will want to start dating them and trying to enter a more serious relationship stage. If you're in love someone and you want to make sure that you have plenty of time to enjoy their company and keep a relationship going, one great way to learn the skills needed and receive the proper support is through relationship counseling. Unlike love, therapy does not have to be difficult as it is designed to make your relationship easier to manage.

Reconnecting Through BetterHelp

Counselor Reviews

“Karen is great, honest, and straightforward. She helped me through some relationship issues I was having and did so in an effective and insightful way.” 

“I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Amy. She was kind and attentive, and made me feel comfortable sharing. For the months that I was in counseling, I was negotiating some difficult relationship challenges, and Amy helped me through these patiently and without judgement. She equipped me with some very practical tools for coping with stress and anxiety, which I still use even after discontinuing counseling. Five stars.”

Conclusion

If you think that you and your partner need help, and could benefit from therapy to strengthen your relationship and learn better relationship skills in the process, know that online counselors are there to assist you. You can once again feel the pangs of love you felt before—it may just take some work. Take the first step today.

Commonly Asked Questions

Does butterflies in the stomach mean love?
Do you feel butterflies when in love?
What causes butterflies in your stomach when you like someone?
What does it mean to get butterflies for someone?
How can you tell when you're in love?
Does your soulmate give you butterflies?
How long do butterflies last in a relationship?
What does love feel like for a man?
Are butterflies a red flag?
Do men get butterflies over girls?