I knew it!

February's National Geographic features an article on "love." The article describes the science behind the chemical reaction that sparks romance. You know what the conclusion was? That the cocktail of brain chemicals that sparks romance is totally different from the blend that fosters long-term attachment.

This is my favorite:

"In the Western world we have for centuries concocted poems and stories and plays about the cycles of love, the way it morphs and changes over time, the way passion grabs us by our flungback throats and then leaves us for something saner. If Dracula --the frail woman, the sensuality of submission--reflects how we understand the passion of early romance, the Flintstones reflects our experiences of long-term love: All is gravel and somewhat silly, the song so familiar you can't stop singing it, and when you do, the emptiness is almost unbearable."

--National Geographic, February 2006, page 35.

I love reading about love as something in a laboratory. Like it is an infection, because that means it has a cure and it also means its effects can be simulated. In essence love comes down to that most basic of human needs and what Richard Dawkins calls "The Selfish Gene." The sense of euphoria that you feel from love is no less the sense of excitement that your body generates because you have gained the right to pass on your DNA.

And my favorite quote from the whole article:

"A Good sex life can be as strong as Gorilla Glue, but who wants that stuff on your skin?"

So I recommend picking up the February 2006 issue of National Geographic.