Research shows love at first sight is real as people take a second to register beauty

Love at first sight has been subject of a number of stories and has been portrayed in films and pop culture for decades. But while the idea of falling in love after catching the first glimpse of a person may not make sense to many, can it be real?

Psychologists have discovered that love at first sight exists and it causes a rush in the body similar to the pleasure of eating candy. A study found that it takes just one second for a person to register beauty as an intense jolt of pleasure follows.

The finding is a part of a project which tries to understand how beauty can be measured to know its effect on actions in day-day life. Focussing on a branch of psychology called empirical aesthetics, the study found that the most alluring angle for the curve of a woman’s spine where it meets the bottom is 45 degrees throughout history.

These norms relating to beauty play a part in choices people make as they spend money and time to acquire beauty or enhance their appearance. The findings also back the claim of philosophers that experience of beauty is a feeling of pleasure.