As evidenced by a more than 50% divorce rate, we do not "fall in love." Just as in most of the other primates in nature, nature uses hormones to cause pairs to "consort" for a period of time to ensured survival of the species...no more, no less. At some point, it is time to grow-up and realize that all those prince on a White horse are just fairy tales.

Chemistry

She swallowed. ....

To get to the other side of the road?

Yet another reward to propegate the species.

Because... Science!

Just part of the human condition IMHO.

Roses are red, violets are blue, love isn't real, everybody acts only in self interest.

Love is an advanced stage of lust

"Love"? What is it? I suppose the simplest expression is the one that appears to cross all the Ts and dot all the Is. Neuro chemical response to an external physical stimulus. We meet, our individual expressions and responses elicit such responses in each other that our desire to continue such stimulation with this one particular person becomes "addictive" or "compulsive" When these responses are no longer as stimulating as they had been, "Love" "dies".

Personally, I prefer the poetic explanation.

It always seems like a good idea at the time. Sometimes, it is. Other times, it's a disaster. Hard to tell which it's going to be at the beginning. But it's not something you decide, it's a feeling, and you can't really control those.

I think we fall in love due to a mix of several different reasons: societal expectations, fear of being alone, the human need for affection and touch, processes in the brain are triggered that give us feel good chemicals (dopamine/endorphins/serotonin, hormones, the feeling of excitement love causes, the basic human need to feel wanted, procreation, and the inability for many of us to not learn from our past mistakes.

For me it's simple. I don't want to live this life alone. I want a best friend. Makes life better to share it with another person. So falling in love is mainly the hope that the other person feels the same way.

Because we have a biological imperative to procreate.

Our hormones are bored and want to have something to do.