6 surprising discoveries about love: think you're an expert on romance? A fascinating new book examines the science of amour and reveals some info you'll be able to put to good use.(love special)

* No matter how much or how little success you've had in love, no doubt you've discovered that it can be confusing as all get-out. That's why you'll be psyched to hear about a book that has just hit stores. In Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love, anthropologist Helen Fisher, PhD, reports on an intensive brain-scan study she did of people who had just fallen madly in love, which she then linked to studies of prehistoric courtship. The result? An illuminating look at matters of the heart. Cosmo pulled together Fisher's most remarkable tidbits--some of which shatter age-old myths.

1. There's no such thing as The One. If you think your soul mate slipped away, don't fret. According to Fisher, the world is full of guys who have the potential to be Mr. Right. "The reason so many women suffer from dating distress is because they believe there's just one person in the world for them," she says. "But it's not true." As time goes on, of course, we narrow down our expectations of what we want and form a blueprint of the type of guy we'd like to be with. But if someone comes along who meets most of our criteria, our rigid restrictions go right out the window.

2. Love at first sight does exist. Sure, you've heard about it in songs, seen it in movies, or listened to a friend talk about it happening to her. Well, guess what? Fisher compared the love chemistry of animals and humans and found that it is possible for us to fall for someone in a split second. "Animals are biologically primed to find a partner before their mating season ends, so they need to have an instant attraction," she says. Since our brains are pretty much wired the same way, we are capable of responding just as quickly to such triggers as attractiveness, body language, and compatibility.

3. It pays to keep a guy at arm's length. When you're crazy in love, it's all you can do not to shower your stud with ...