Research suggests there is scientific evidence that supports the old phrase, “Love is like a drug. ”

Addicted to love
Recent studies have shown that feelings of love can increase levels of certain chemicals in the brain in the same way that drugs like cocaine do. The increased levels of these chemicals cause people to feel excited, energetic, and euphoric, especially in the beginning stages of courtship or drug use. In the same way that drug users develop a tolerance to a drug’s effect and eventually require a higher dose to get the same feeling, those in new relationships also overindulge in love. This explains why some new couples just can’t seem to get enough of each other.

Love as a painkiller?
A recent study at Stanford University enlisted the help of students who were in their first months of dating to examine the correlation between love and tolerance to pain. While undergoing an MRI scan, participants were shown photos of their love interests while simultaneously being inflicted with pain from a hot rod on their palms. The images from the brain scan showed activity in the same areas of the brain that are affected by certain drugs. Students were then asked to rate the degree of pain they felt while looking at photos of either their partners or friends. The results showed that the students felt less pain while looking at photos of their partners than when looking at photos of friends, suggesting that love is a natural painkiller.

Can't buy me love
Unlike cocaine, love offers a longer-lasting effect, but new love—that can’t-get-enough-of-each-other passionate love—doesn’t last forever either. “If young love could be bottled and sold, drugstore shelves would be bare,” says researcher Dr. Jonathan Hughes. “But there are some things that money just can’t buy.”

根據研究指出，有科學上的證據支持那句老話：「愛情如毒品」。

愛，上了癮
最近研究顯示，因愛而生的情感，可以增加大腦中的某些化學物質，作用就像古柯鹼那樣的毒品一樣。這些化學物質含量的增加，讓人感到興奮、有活力，而且飄飄然，那種感覺在追求情人，或使用毒品的初期階段特別明顯。如同吸毒者會對藥物的效果產生耐受性，最終需要更高的劑量才能獲得相同的感覺一般，剛交往的情侶同樣會過度沉溺於愛情中，這就解釋了為什麼熱戀中的情侶似乎總是黏在一起！

愛情可作為止痛劑？
最近一項史丹福大學的研究，徵求剛開始約會數月的學生，請他們協助檢驗戀愛和疼痛耐受性之間的相關性。參與者在接受核磁共振掃描時，看著自己情人的照片，同時被熱棒燙手掌。大腦掃描圖像顯示，腦部活動的區域，和某些藥物影響大腦的區域是一樣的。然後，研究者詢問學生，當他們看著情人和朋友的照片，疼痛程度有什麼分別。結果指出，學生看著情人的照片，比看著朋友的照片感到的痛楚較小，這表示愛情是天然的止痛劑。

金錢買不到愛情
愛情有比古柯鹼有更持久的效果。但是，新戀情那種「非你不可」的激情也無法長久。研究者強納森•休斯博士指出：「如果戀愛激情可以裝瓶出售，藥房貨架上將是空蕩零落。但是有些東西，用錢也買不到。」