From Crazy In Love To Lazy In Love - Coming Off The Dopamine High

in #psychology2 years ago (edited)

Love enjoys knowing everything about you; desire needs mystery. Love likes to shrink the distance that exists between me and you, while desire is energized by it. If intimacy grows through repetition and familiarity, eroticism is numbed by repetition.” -Esther Perel

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Don’t we all secretly wish the puppy love phase of a romantic relationship could last forever? Imagine if unlimited stomach butterfly refills were a thing. Losing the spark? We’ve got you covered by a shot of butterfly supply straight into your bloodstream. Talk about an addictive drug! Human nature is a bitch because it gives us a taste of the most addictive things in life but without the possibility of having constant refills. It’s a one time thing honey, enjoy it while it lasts!

We want something. We get it. Now the tricky part is that when we get the thing we once craved, dopamine gives up on us. We’re then forced to make a switch in our minds, one that propels us from a state of wanting to a state of having. The thrill of the chase is gone. To anticipate something is more exciting than to actually get the thing isn't? Now you’ve got maintenance work to do for the remaining of your romantic relationship. To keep on wanting what we already have doesn’t come naturally to us, human beings, complex creatures who are suckers for all things novelty related. The good news is that there’s a way to get a grip on that brain chemistry of ours.

Nothing is more unappealing for our excitement seeking brain than romantic cohabitation. Unfortunately for us, living with our partner accelerates the process of hedonic adaptation which makes it in turn easier for us to fall into a state of complacency. Crazy monkey sex turns into routine love making. Fun date nights get replaced by netflix marathons. Hours long talks were once our go to and now we're lucky if we give each other 10 mins of our undivided attention at the end of a long day.

We get used to things (and people) fairly quickly. Unless we make it a habit to keep our emotional connection in check, love can inadvertently slip from our hands.The mundanity of the day to day and the fast pace of modern life can break apart even the strongest of relationships. Habituation only becomes a romance killer if we let it. There’s tons of ways to keep things fun and exciting, we just have to be willing enough to find them.

A few key formulas to remember

Time X Routine X Autopilot = Boredom

Gratitude - Complacency = Sweet spot

Netflix and chilling X Time = Boredom

Interactive date nights - Couch activities = Spark back + emotional connection sustained

(thank me later)

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" I will not always be here, I will maybe not always love you exactly like you wish, you will not be everything for me and I will not be everything for you. But I have enough confidence in what you are to know that your being will always be dear to me because it is wonderfully unique and irreplaceable. Life without you would not be impossible, it would be terribly more empty and grey. As a life always and only with you would be cruel to me. But there is an unstable equilibrium between our promise, that sense of eternity, and our desires for somewhere else and for freedom, that equilibrium is our desire to love each other. "

  • Attakattak, The Local Kids issue 1

Can't lie, this is pretty damn cute. I hope life without me made you realize how irreplaceable I really am:P Ready for a healthy dose of some passive agressivity?:P
If I am that dear and that irreplaceable I wouldn't have to fight for a text back within a reasonable time frame:P Sure, like without you sucks at times, but it feels so much better sleeping at night not having to anxiously wait for a text back or wonder if you're reconnecting with an old fling. LOL here you have it, me airing my dirty laundry on here because someone decided it was worth reaching you through my blog;)
Still the best sex I ever had, but it ain't worth the rest. Unless you seek therapy, take full accountability for the times you did me wrong, make me a powerpoint presentation of the 1001 reasons why I'm irrepleaceble and send 1001 roses to my doorstep, I won't give you the time of day.
You had your chance and you blew it all away my dear #suckstobeyou

I get butterflies in my stomach just by looking at gorgeous face, i bet that tongue is an infinite supply of dopamine , just joking ;p dont take offence, your fucking hot.

HAHAHAHAHAHAH your comment made me laugh a bunch!:P You're too sweet! Thanks @bitcocke:P

Ahahah but i am dead serious. When i made a fortune selling my first company, i bought a home three separate houses. One for me, for my wife and for guests. Best decisions ever. Living seperately = crazy monkey sex everytime i see her white ass. You should join us sometimes for your daily transfusion of tripple A’s.

I know they say money doesn’t make you happy, its true it doesn’t, except of you are a genius like me.