Addicted to love

Addicted to love

So what exactly is going on during the rollercoaster of euphoria and despair that is falling in love?

In the brain, romantic love shows similarities to going mildly insane or suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. Studies show that when you first fall in love, serotonin levels plummet and the brain's reward centres are flooded with dopamine. This gives a high similar to an addictive drug, creating powerful links in our minds between pleasure and the object of our affection, and meaning we crave the hit of our beloved again and again.

Lust is driven by sex hormones such as testosterone, which can go off-kilter too. As can levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and the amphetamine-like chemical phenylethlyamine, increasing excitement.

Other hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, kick in later and appear to be crucial for forming long-term partnerships. Couples who have been together for several years show increased brain activity associated with these chemicals, when they look at pictures of their partner. Oxytocin is produced when couples have sex and touch, kiss and massage each other - the hormone makes us more trusting, helps overcome "social fear" and is important for bonding.

Brain scans of people in love show that the old adage "love is blind" really is true. While the dopamine reward areas are excited in love, regions linked with negative emotions and critical social judgement switch off.

Most Expensive Necktie

Views on neckties tend to vary widely. To some, a necktie is a symbol of success and/or authority. To others, it can be seen as a leash or even a phallic symbol. Some think that only men should wear them, others see the tie as unisex. Regardless of what you may think of ordinary ties, you may be impressed by the world’s most expensive necktie.

The Satya Paul Design Studio, a company with roots in the early stages of India’s fashion industry, displayed the most expensive necktie in the world at a fashion show aptly titled “Cultural Ties” in Mumbai on October 29th, 2003. Tied around the neck of bollywood film star Salman Khan, this unique tie is made of pure silk with a pattern in 150 grams of gold. It’s also adorned with 271 diamonds weighing 77 carats weighing 77 carats total.

The world’s most expensive necktie was created for the Suashish Diamond group and priced at INR 1 crore—that’s 10 million rupees or, at the time, over $220,000

World’s Most Expensive Belt

Whether used for its more utilitarian purpose or as a fashion statement, a belt can be an important part of any person’s wardrobe. Check out these two very expensive belts.


Selfridges & Co. gold belt – $32,000

You can never have enough gold on your body—at least, that’s what Selfridges, a chain of high end department stores in the UK, wanted you to believe when they unveiled this expensive belt. Selfridges & Co. commissioned the aptly-named design house Money to create the gold-studded men’s belt. Featuring seventy pyramids crafted from 18-carat gold and mounted on white leather, the belt was intended to herald the return of the lavish lifestyle. Given its 2006 release, they probably even sold a few before the global economic hullabaloo.

The Selfridges luxury belt was priced at £20,000—around US $32,000—for anyone with a waist under 28 inches. Each additional inch added £800 to the price.

Republica Fashion’s Gucci 30cts.diamond belt – $249,000

Of course, within days of the original publication of this article a brand new Most Expensive Belt in the World was unveiled. A collaboration between Goldstriker International and U.K. designer Stuart Hughes, this belt was commissioned by an anonymous client of Republica Fashion. It’s a Gucci belt with the Gucci monogrammed belt buckle replaced by a more extravagant platinum buckle with 30 carats of diamonds placed along the upright G.

Actress Kelly McGillis Weds Girlfriend

She may have romanced some of the most famous men of the 1980s on-screen, but, off-screen, actress Kelly McGillis has found love with her longtime girlfriend, Melanie Leis, whom she wed in a civil union this week.

This is not the first marriage for the 53-year-old actress, who is best known for starring opposite of Harrison Ford in 1985's Witness and opposite Tom Cruise the following year in Top Gun. She was previously married twice - both times to men - and only came out as a lesbian last year. More Middle-Aged Women Coming Out As Lesbians

In May 2009, a reporter had asked Kelly if she, then-single, was looking for a man or a woman:"It was like a moment of truth," Kelly revealed. "I thought, Hmm, do I say the truth, or do I just say, It's none of your business, which is my standard answer? I said you know, I'm just going to say the truth. Definitely a woman.

Despite being considered one of the most beautiful actresses of the '80s, Kelly has seen her share of tragedy in her life and was savagely raped by two men in 1982 while she was still a student at Juilliard. Kelly shared her ordeal in 1988 to People Magazine and revealed that the experience made her take the role as an assistant district attorney who prosecutes Jodie Foster's rapists in the film, The Accused.

She and Melanie, a 42-year-old sales executive, met in 2000 when Melanie was working as a bartender at a Florida restaurant that Kelly and her second husband had co-owned together. The couple now lives in New Jersey together and their union was featured in the New York Times.