Now I understand why I keep dancing around the house...

It's all about the monkey love....

Enjoy reckless, hot and steamy love while you can

HamptonRoads.com © December 1, 2005

Italian scientists - who else? - have uncovered the secret to the euphoric and silly, lusty and reckless passion you feel when you first fall in love.

It's really tiny and it won't last for more than a year.

Researchers at Pavia University say the powerful emotions that stroke monkey love are triggered by a molecule known as nerve growth factor, or NGF.

The scientists compared a group of people who had recently fallen madly in love to a group of people in long-term relationships. They discovered that the new lovers had much higher levels of NGF in their blood.

After a year with the same lover, however, the quantity of love molecules in their blood had fallen to the same level as the people in long-term relationships.

The Italian researchers, who published their findings the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, said they do not know why falling in love triggers higher levels of NGF, but they vowed to continue their research for many, many years with many, many partners.

Copyright 2005 Hamptonroads.com/PilotOnline.com