Love In Slow Motion

Every once in a while you come across a piece of art that you can totally relate to, which is exactly what happened to me when I saw this video by Arev Manoukian at Spy Films.

To find out what's going on in our brains when we fall in "love at first sight," we contacted professor Warren H. Meck, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University. Meck says it all comes down to chemistry.

Apparently, that glance from a stranger across a crowded room triggers the release of a substance called dopamine in the brain's reward system. And, says Meck, this dopamine boost "motivates us to approach individuals that we are attracted to, while at the same time experiencing feelings of elation, passion and romantic love. ... Hence these brain mechanisms make 'love at first sight' possible — and even probable under the right circumstances."

Meck says time seems to stand still when this happens because the same parts of the brain are also involved in timing and time perception. Under normal circumstances, we're aware of time passing because we're monitoring the various things going on around us. But the more our senses are engaged by the object of our attention, Meck says, "the less we attend to other features of our environment" and time (and everything else) ... seems to slow down or stop."

How romantic.

Curious about how they made the video? Watch this video: