Top 5 Myths About Love

Top 5 Myths About Love

Love spelt backwards is Evol…which kinda sounds like evil. I dunno where I was going with that. Welcome to WatchMojo’s Top 5 Myths, the series that finds the biggest myths that people actually believe and dispels them one by one. In today’s installment we’ll be counting down the 5 myths about love that we shouldn’t take to heart.

#5: The Traditional Heart Symbol is a Human Heart

It’s likely you’ve exchanged drawings with your squeeze of this iconic symbol, under the impression that it is an innocuous expression of fondness detailing the human heart. However, it likely comes as no surprise that the body part in question looks nothing like the symbol—and wasn’t even its inspiration. While the exact history is unclear, prominent hypotheses include its inspiration from the seed of a silphium plant, an ancient contraceptive, and depictions of female anatomy; in particular, the rear end or vulva. Perhaps a smiley face would be more fitting the next time you consider including it in your parent’s birthday card?

#4: Oxytocin is More or Less a Love Drug

Oxytocin is widely believed to be a key ingredient in the physical sensation of love; which is backed up to some degree by science. For example, oxytocin is released during nursing of infants by their mothers; creating a strong physical and emotional bond. However, it only acts as a “love drug” when associated with positive emotions. When associated with negative emotions, the chemical can trigger jealousy, suspicion, envy, and even violence. So does this mean love should encompass ugly and sinister emotions such as the ones mentioned? Or is Oxytocin’s purpose more broad than just a love drug? Either way, this discovery unveils a deeper understanding of the iconic phrase, love hurts.

#3: Love is Blind

If you love someone, chances are you’re completely unaware of gaping character flaws that can be recognized immediately by the average person, right? Upon further research, this belief is actually slightly misguided. Folks who are in love can still perceive when their partner has a character flaw such as anger, alcoholism, or narcissism. However, our brains have developed to intentionally look past these flaws and put on a pair of metaphorical blinders when engaging with them. As Neuroscience Professor Lucy Brown puts it, “Love isn’t blind… it just makes your vision cloudy.” On one hand, this bias can help couples stay together during tough times such as child rearing, on the other hand, it’s made countless hopeless romantics stick in relationships that were far from healthy way past their implied expiration.

#2: There’s Someone Out There for Everybody

It’s time to lay on a healthy dose of fact-based cynicism. Between movies, books, and the fact that there’s roughly a 50-50 ratio of men and women it’s easy to assume that there’s a special person out there for all of us and we’ll all have long, happy relationships. But there’s actually an increasingly fair chance you’ll wind up dying alone. Statistically, people are remaining single way longer than in the past, with 20% of marriages taking place by age 25 now compared to 90% in 1960. Over 1 in 4 people currently live alone according to one survey, and a Japanese study found that on average 10 people die alone every day in Tokyo. This data may not be the best breakup advice to share during future consolations, but hey, keep in mind the countless people whose Love Blinders allow them to live with someone they can’t stand.

#1: A Broken Heart Can’t Hurt You

Despite the Star Wars prequels many flaws, they did get one thing right, and that’s the possibility of death from a broken heart. A broken heart is caused by traumatic emotional stress such as death of a loved one and shares quite a few commonalities with a standard heart attack. It differs in part because healthy individuals with little to no risk factors for heart disease can experience this physically painful sensation. While this revelation is shocking to say the least, the silver lining is that full recovery is far quicker than many other heart issues, with complete recoveries taking around two months. Love is indeed a fickle beast with pitfalls around every corner, but its appeal is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon. So how many of these myths did you believe? For more heart-breaking Top 10s and Oxytocin-inducing Top 5s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.