It's a Fine Line Between Love, Hate in the Brain

Areas of the brain involved in hatred are also activated by love, a study suggests. Researchers took images of brain activity when subjects looked at a photo of someone they despised, ABC News reports. While not identical, the pattern of brain activation those images triggered involved some of the same areas as a previous study using a photo of a loved one.

The researchers noted that only hate activated parts of the cerebral cortex associated with judgment and reasoning. “I was surprised by the level of deactivation in the case of love,” said the study’s lead author. “But if you see a person and if you love them, and you trust them, you don't have to watch every step,” he speculated. (More brain stories.)