9 Ways Falling In Love Affects Your Brain (5 of 5)

8. You are less likely to be judgmental

At the beginning of a relationship, have you ever noticed that when your guy/girl does something you might otherwise consider annoying, you give them a free pass? In fact, you might even find such behavior cute! You also blindly support their unrealistic ambitions and praise them for the way they handled an argument with a friend, even though under normal circumstances you might question what they’re doing. Brain scans indicate that when a subject is shown a picture of someone they’re in love with, the frontal cortex — which is responsible for judgment — basically shuts down. Yikes!

9. Your brain grows larger

Okay, so this is not literally true. But the release of dopamine really does provide a boost to your cognitive and motor skills. For instance, in one study the subjects were shown a series of names that flashed across the computer monitor. When the name of their crush appeared, they were able to handle complex tasks with more ease!