The WSJ's Sam Schechner reports (in the video below) on a study looking at the brains of people who have just fallen in compared to people who claim to have stayed madly in love for over a decade. The romantic love area of those who have just fallen in love occurs in a very primitive part of the brain - the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The activation levels of people who say they have been in love for ten years or more was the same as people who had only just fallen love so apparently some people do retain that "new love" experience. CNN has an article on love and the brain.
Valentine's Day Searches Rise as Holiday Approaches
Sometimes what people are searching for can be very revealing. A post on Yahoo Buzz looks at some of the most common searches related to the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday.
Is romance possible with primary anxiety? This reading of distracted amor comes partly from a 402% spike in the query, "when is valentine's day." (Answer: February 14.) True, Valentine's Day is more than two weeks away, but traditionally the annual Buzz homage to martyrdom and love begins at this time.
Lookups, especially among ladies of all ages, have begun to register according to schedule, but the online allure for "valentine" is down 27% from this same time period in 2006 and 2007. The quest for "romance" has also taken a hit (-29% compared to last January). Good thing "love" remains relatively stable.
They also have a list of what is up and what is down this year. More people this year are searching for love compatibility, gifts for men and love songs. Not as many people are looking for information on how to kiss. Maybe this year people already know how to smooch.
A speed dating event called Natural Selection Speed Date II: Sugar Mamas & Boy Toys attempted to match attractive young men with rich older women. Some twenty guys were selected at the event according to this news story.
"I find younger guys will usually be totally into you while older guys will be looking over your shoulder at a younger woman," said Gail Garrison, 44, a fashion designer and former model.
"Younger men expect an older woman to be more accomplished. They are looking for you because you are intelligent. They are not looking for a mother," she said.
Mr Abelson, 27, calls it "Natural Selection Speed Date II: Sugar Mamas & Boy Toys". He came up with the idea after drawing criticism from feminists for organising an event last year that paired wealthy older men with young women.
More than 5000 men applied for a place in this year's event. Twenty finalists were selected.
"I think for men it is an incredible fantasy (to be with an older woman)," Mr Abelson said. "Older women are more experienced and they know what they want."
The rich older women pared the 5,000 men down to just twenty. These women only want the best - it's not easy finding a rich woman even if you are a boy toy. The event was organized by Pocket Change NY. You can see a bit more about how things went in this Reuters video below.
Harlequin Survey Reveals Americans Welcome Little White Lies
Is honesty always the best policy? No, not always says a new study from Harlequin. According to the 2008 Harlequin Romance Report, the majority of American men (61%) have lied when their significant other asked the dreaded "Do I look fat in this?" According to 63% of Americans, white lies are an acceptable and even welcome part of any relationship, despite the fact that trust and honesty were ranked as the values that mattered most to both men (41%) and women (51%) in relationships.
"Americans want to have trust in their relationships, but sometimes they'd rather have that trust broken," said Marleah Stout, Senior Public Relations Manager, Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. "We want honesty in our relationships, but only if it doesn't offend or contradict our own self-image. We want to know that when it comes to the big things like infidelity, finances, or relationship problems our partners are being honest and truthful. But where physical appearance, annoying habits and personal preferences are concerned we accept, and often expect, to be lied to."
Harlequin analyzed the data to look at when Americans believe lies are acceptable versus when honesty is the best policy. They also found some interesting relationship trends.
Fifty-three percent of men and 54% of women have researched a potential
date or significant other online
Forty-five percent of men and 55% of women confessed to having planned
to bump into someone on purpose in hopes of it leading to a date
Forty-one percent of men and 45% of women would confess flirting with
someone else to their significant other but only 16% of men and 18% of
women would confess to sending a sexually explicit email/text/instant
message to someone else
Forty-six percent of men and 52% of women felt it is ok to lie to get
out of plans they had already made
Eighty-one percent of men still have pictures and mementos from and of
their ex(s)
Sixty-five percent of men and 56% of women agree with interoffice
romances
Seventy-six percent of American men and 79% of American women say that
they have never regretted a confession they have made
Sixty-two percent of men and 69% of women say that they confess their
secrets to friends while only 39% of men and 46% of women confess their
secrets to significant others
Sometimes what people are searching for can be very revealing. A 
Is honesty always the best policy? No, not always says a new study from Harlequin. According to the 2008 Harlequin Romance Report, the majority of American men (61%) have lied when their significant other asked the dreaded "Do I look fat in this?" According to 63% of Americans, white lies are an acceptable and even welcome part of any relationship, despite the fact that trust and honesty were ranked as the values that mattered most to both men (41%) and women (51%) in relationships.
