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Romantic love may influence attention outside the relationship.
Researchers asked women to identify body odors belonging to their boyfriend, a female friend, and a male friend.
Greater reported romantic love for the boyfriend was associated with poorer identification of the male friend's odor.
Interestingly, stronger love wasn't associated with better identification of the boyfriend's scent.
Researchers interpreted the pattern as supporting the possibility that romantic love helps redirect attention away from alternative partners.
It's only one study and shouldn't be interpreted as a literal biological loyalty test.
But it suggests that falling deeply in love may affect how other potential partners are processed in surprisingly subtle ways.
© Hormones and Behavior (2008)