The Question: Do you remember the beginning of relationships as a perfect, drug-like high, while minimizing the terrible fights or red flags that occurred?
Love junkies have distorted memories. They will say, “But the first three months were magical,” while ignoring the lying, the ghosting, or the emotional abuse. Run the scan: If you had to take a photo of the worst moment of that relationship, would you still go back?
A "Love Junkie Scan" is not a single MRI image. Rather, it is a conceptual framework used by therapists to explain the overlap between romantic obsession and substance abuse disorder.
Using fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) technology, researchers have discovered that when a love junkie looks at a photo of their new partner or recalls a romantic memory, their brain lights up in the same regions as a cocaine addict’s brain when they see a line of powder. love junkie scan
Specifically, a positive Love Junkie Scan shows three distinct anomalies:
If you answered “Yes” to 0-2 questions: You are a healthy romantic. You enjoy love but do not need it to survive.
If you answered “Yes” to 3-5 questions: You have love junkie tendencies. You are at risk of sliding into addiction. Prevention is key—consider therapy or a 90-day dating detox. The Question: Do you remember the beginning of
If you answered “Yes” to 6-10 questions: You are a full-spectrum love junkie. Your romantic patterns are causing significant life damage. You require an addiction recovery protocol, not just relationship advice.
The Question: Do you need increasingly extreme behaviors to feel the same rush? (e.g., first you needed a date, then you needed sex, then you needed moving in, then you needed dramatic reunions).
Like any drug, love loses its potency over time. A healthy couple transitions to comfort. A love junkie escalates to drama—secret cameras, breaking up to make up, stalking exes. Run the scan: If you had to take
To get the "hit" of connection, you erase your boundaries. You stop seeing your friends, you change your political beliefs, you abandon your hobbies. The scan shows the insula (self-awareness region) going dark as you morph into whatever the partner wants.
The Question: Have you stayed in a relationship long after respect died because the idea of being alone is more terrifying than the idea of being miserable?
This scans for the fear vacuum. Love junkies would rather be in a bad relationship than no relationship. Ask yourself: “If I knew I would be alone for the next five years, would I still leave this person?”