Sandra J E Langeslag

Sandra Langeslag is a Dutch cognitive and biological psychologist who studies romantic love. She received her PhD from Erasmus University Rotterdam in The Netherlands. She's stated that out of the types of love commonly studied, she's most intrigued by the infatuation stage (also called passionate love).

Studies by Langeslag using EEG have demonstrated that self-regulating love feelings is possible, Cognitive reappraisal involves focusing on positive or negative aspects of the partner to change how one feels. Her experiment found that serotonin levels were differently affected in men and women, and that obsessive thinking in women was actually associated with an increase in serotonin. She developed a new questionnaire, the Infatuation and Attachment Scales (IAS), to measure slightly different constructs, which she refers to as infatuation and attachment: Negative reappraisal decreases feelings of infatuation and attachment, but decreases mood in the short term. In positive reappraisal, one focuses on positive qualities of the beloved ("he's kind", "she's spontaneous"), the relationship ("we have so much fun together") or imagined future scenarios ("we'll live happily ever after"). Positive reappraisal increases attachment and can increase relationship satisfaction.