The Bottom Line of "HOW TO KEEP THE ROMANCE ALIVE"

My Valentine

This is a picture of Jim and yours truly when we were first married in 1985. You can date the photo as the mid 80's by my very big hairstyle (the style will come back . . . just wait - you'll see. It will be your kids or your grandkids who will sport it, and I will just smile). Anyway, it has been 24 years since we met in a most unusual way, really.

But this post is not about my romance, but about romance in general. I found this story that I thought very funny. Kind of like when grandma told you to eat your chicken soup when you were sick. Then all the fancy shmancy medicines came 'round, and chicken soup went out of vogue. But lo and behold, years later they decided chicken soup was good when you were sick . . . after all that . . . Here's this story from which I took Excerpts:

Article by Seth Borenstein

From the Associated Press:

The Science of Romance:

Brains have a love circuit

. . . The unpoetic explanation is that love mostly can be understood through brain images, hormones and genetics. That seems to be the case for the newly in love, the long in love and the brokenhearted. . . .

. . . "It has a biological basis. We know some of the key players," said Larry Young of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University in Atlanta. . .

. . . Scientists figure they now know better how to keep those love circuits lit and the chemicals flowing . . . romantic love theoretically can be simulated with chemicals, but. . .

"if you really want . . . to get the relationship spark back, then engage in the behavior that stimulates the release of these molecules and allow them to stimulate the emotions," he said.

That would be hugging, kissing, and intimate contact.

"My wife tells me that flowers work as well. I don't know for sure," Young said. "As a scientist it's hard to see how it stimulates the circuits, but I do know they seem to have an effect. And the absence of them seems to have an effect as well."

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The emphasis was added by me - that's the chicken soup thing I was talking about. Maybe the "group hug" thing is not such a bad idea to fix the world's problems. Hope your valentines day was full of them.

LOVE Margaret