Some times in diagnosis the answer is hidden in plain sight.

In the 1980s, before brain science became “hot,” Jon Franklin, one of the great science writers of his generation, told me, “One day we will learn that we are all a bunch of chemicals. You are three red, four blue and five yellow. I will be some combination of those but different from yours.”

That is ridiculous, I told him. One order of fried crow sandwich to go, please. Of course, many a fried crow sandwich has been ordered by me but that one was harder to chew than most because it was so obvious.

How early on did people talk about the “chemistry” between two people? Whether dating or working together, chemistry was short-hand for how well people related.

“The chemistry is not right between those two,” a boss will say. “I have to figure out how to separate them.”

I have seen two terrific people introduced at a professional meeting, people we all thought would be friends, and no. A polite nod. Perhaps even frostiness. Who knew why?

So, chemistry is not just about romantic love but the point of this story is about that. The most fun kind.

It explains exactly how the chemistry of “being in love” works.

And even though he has proven me wrong a number of times, I still love Jon.

CNN

“Poets, novelists and songwriters have described it in countless turns of phrase, but at the level of biology, love is all about chemicals.

“Although the physiology of romantic love has not been extensively studied, scientists can trace the symptoms of deep attraction to their logical sources.

“Part of the whole attraction process is strongly linked to physiological arousal as a whole,” said Timothy Loving (his real name), assistant professor of human ecology at the University of Texas, Austin. “Typically, that’s going to start with things like increased heart rate, sweatiness and so on.”

…”Helen Fisher, professor at Rutgers University and author of the book “Why Him? Why Her? Finding Real Love by Understanding Your Personality Type,” is an expert source quoted in the full story.

“Fisher’s team has found that romantic love doesn’t have to die — they found the same activity in the brains of people who said they were in love after 20 years of marriage as in people who had just fallen in love.” (Emphasis added)

Source: CNN, February 12, 2010