197 4 Love and loss Love for every body Ah, love. It is that moment when someone literally takes your breath away. We feel it all over our bodies and it happens to people all over the world. It is a chemical experience, a hormonal one. But what is really happening to us when we are in love? The physical reality of love is among the most marvellous of experiences. When we fall in love, our bodies respond in interesting ways. We get butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms, restlessness, a racing heart and, most visibly, a blushing face. Chemical messengers called hormones cause all of these reactions, and then some, and they affect us in three emotional stages of love. First, we are overtaken with lust. This is when oestrogen and testosterone kick in. A simple start. Mother nature has worked it out so that we are driven by the desire to reproduce. These chemicals are easy to excite – a little eye contact is all that is needed. But this just gets the ball rolling. further reading Before reading Look at the title and the illustration. What do you predict this text will discuss? Write three or four sentences. literally – bókstaflega to respond – hér: bregðast við a palm – lófi restlessness – óeirð stages – stig lust – girnd driven by – knúinn áfram af to reproduce – fjölga sér to excite – hér: vekja áhuga
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