SCIENCE TRIVIAS ON VALENTINES DAY CELEBRATION

By MELCHI DELA CRUZ

Here are some interesting facts you didnt about love and Valentines Day.
1. The heart had long been a symbol of affection and romantic love. Did you know that the
human heart can pump blood to every cell in the body in under a minute? Over the
course of a day, about 100,000 heart beats shuttle 2,000 gallons of oxygenrich blood many times through about 60,000 miles of branching blood vessels that link
together the cells of our organs and body parts.
2. The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Red roses
are considered the flower of love because the color red stands for strong romantic
feelings. Red roses are not only pretty to look at, they also have therapeutic properties.
The rose offers a soothing property to the nerves and emotional/psychological state of
mind. It is regarded as a mild sedative and anti-depressant. It is increasingly used in
treatments for conditions of stress: nervous tension, peptic ulcers, heart disease, among
others.
3. How long does it take to fall in love? Is there love at first sight? It only takes a fraction of
a second to fall in love, according to an October 2010 survey of research. Stephanie
Ortigue, a Professor of Neurology at Syracuse University, found that it takes about a
fifth of a second to fall in love.
4. According to research, 12 regions of the brain work together when falling in love,
resulting in the release of euphoria-inducing chemicals such as dopamine (associated
with pleasure), adrenaline (excitement and arousal), oxytocin and vasopressin (sense of
well-being and nurturing).
5. Falling in love can induce a calming effect on the body and mind and raises levels of
nerve growth factor for about a year, which helps to restore the nervous system and
improves the lovers memory.
6. Love can also exert the same stress on your body as deep fear. You see the same
physiological responsespupil dilation, sweaty palms, and increased heart rate.
7. People who are newly in love produce decreased levels of the hormone serotonin as
low as levels seen in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Perhaps thats why its
so easy to feel obsessed when youre infatuated.
8. Rejection is the other side of romance. The pain of heartbreak is linked to activity in
brain regions associated with pleasure and addiction and areas involved in motivation
and reward, according to a Journal of Neurophysiology study.
9. According to mathematical theory, we should date a dozen people before choosing a
long-term partner; that provides the best chance that youll make a love match.
10. Monogamous relationships exist throughout the animal kingdom. Even though we often
think of ourselves as a faithful species, were not the only one in the animal kingdom.

Wolves, swans, gibbons, black vultures, albatrosses and even termites are just a few of
those animals that find a mate for a lifetime.
11. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that is reputed to
stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love. The botanical name of the
chocolate plant is Theobramba cacao, which means "Food of the Gods." The
theobromine in chocolate that stimulates the cardiac and nervous systems is too much
for dogs, especially smaller pups. A chocolate bar is poisonous to dogs and can even be
lethal.
(adapted from the Internet)