We assume you know this fact because you’ve read our countless success stories, but one-night stands don’t always end in awkward run-ins at a bar 8 months later. In fact, they can lead to love… and even marriage!

According to a study by Jim Pfaus, a professor of psychology at Concordia University in Montreal, the same regions of the brain that control sex also control love, which means that it’s possible that lust can turn into feelings of love.

Via NBC News:

The brain’s insular cortex (or insula) and the striatum play a role in both sexual desire and love. The insula is nestled deep within the cerebral cortex and influences emotions. While the striatum resides in the forebrain and receives messages from the cortex.
In order to map out the location of sexual desire and love, researchers reviewed 20 studies that used fMRI technology. First, they looked at the regions of the brain that lit up when sparked by love. They then compared the findings of all the papers to see what regions were activated when someone felt aroused or amorous.
What they discovered was a bit surprising — love and sexual desire both activate the striatum, showing a continuum from sexual desire to love…
as well as an overlap between sexual desire and love in the insula.

In simple terms, the study seemed to show that because feelings of love and feelings of sexual desire share various homes in the brain, in many cases sexual desire can in fact morph into love. So while they aren’t the same thing (Pfaus noted that sexual desire is very possible without love, and vice versa), they aren’t mutually exclusive. Maybe you went into a booty call feeling only attracted to your date’s smokin’ bod, but you may soon learn to love their personalities, emotions, and quirks as well.

Now I’m not saying that every sexy single in your little black book is going to fall in love with you… but sex can lead to love. And THAT’S a fact our critics should hear!

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