Throughout the ages, poetry, music and literature have spun tales of love as pain, love as a drug, love as addiction, and sometimes, love as a healer. Now, science is picking up where artistic metaphor leaves off, revealing that the euphoria of being in love is literally a painkiller. Much like a narcotic, romantic love can stimulate certain brain pathways that reduce perceptions of pain. Although we can’t pick up a dose of “falling in love” at the corner pharmacy, by studying the way love soothes, researchers may one day find unique remedies for chronic pain.