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What’s the science behind love? A Valentine’s Day exploration with an UMSL professor who studies it

How does love work in the brain? That's the question psychologist Sandra Langeslag has studied in her laboratory at UMSL.
Kelly Moffitt | St. Louis Public Radio
How does love work in the brain? That's the question psychologist Sandra Langeslag has studied in her laboratory at UMSL.

Psychologist Sandra Langeslag runs  the Neurocognition of Emotion and Motivation Lab at the University of Missouri-St. Louis . The laboratory's research is dedicated to finding out how love works in the brain. On Tuesday, Valentine’s Day, she joined St. Louis on the Air to discuss the science behind those feelings of love (and heartbreak too).

Related: To an UMSL psychologist, love is just a state of mind

"People often say 'well, if we study love aren't we taking away the magic? Maybe we shouldn't study it.' I don't agree with that," Langeslag said. "It is an important topic to study. It happens to so many people and when people fall in love, it really affects them to a great extent. It has lots of positive effects and negative effects. I don't htink studying love takes away the magic. Think about depression. We study it a lot. And even if we fully understood depression, people would still feel depressed, but maybe we could help them feel better."

Listen as Langeslag discusses her lab's research and answers questions from listeners about the psychology and science of love:Psychologist Sandra Landeslag discusses her laboratory at UMSL that studies how love works in the brain with St. Louis on the Air guest host Steve Potter.

St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary EdwardsAlex Heuer and Kelly Moffitt give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region. 

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Online producer for St. Louis Public Radio's talk shows St. Louis on the Air and Cityscape.