Who needs Cupid when you have Pavlov?

I had a crush on this guy, so I did what any rational person with a basic grasp of psychology would do. I ran a social experiment on him. No big deal. Every time we hung out, I made sure we watched a comedy masterpiece (the kind of films that leave your ribs hurting from laughter). And, like clockwork, he slowly started associating me with that giddy, can't-stop-laughing kind of happiness. Pretty soon, just seeing me was enough to light up his face. Well, that’s the magic of classical conditioning.

The Science Behind My (Possibly Questionable) Methods

If you’re wondering what exactly was going on behind the scenes, here’s the quick and dirty explanation. Classical conditioning happens when you pair a neutral stimulus (me,who, at first, was just another person in his life) with an unconditioned stimulus (hilarious comedy) that naturally triggers an unconditioned response (laughter, joy, maybe even wiping away tears from laughing too much). After enough pairings, the brain starts linking the neutral thing (me) with the good feelings. And just like that, I become the human equivalent of a comedy night special.
This is the same principle Pavlov demonstrated with his dogs: bell + food = drooling, until eventually, just the bell = drooling. Except in this case, it was me + comedy = happiness, until eventually just me = happiness. No saliva involved, hopefully.

What Was Happening Inside His Brain?

Underneath it all, his brain was probably doing a lot of quiet work. The cerebellum, usually known for balance, also helps with learning these kinds of emotional links, slowly tying my presence to the feeling of happiness. The sounds of laughter, the comfort of those moments, would’ve traveled through the pontine nuclei, helping the brain piece everything together. At first, the inferior olive would have lit up with the surprise of a good joke, but as he started to expect laughter around me, that signal would’ve faded, a sign that the connection was settling in. Meanwhile, the Purkinje cells were probably fine-tuning the timing and making sure the feeling clicked right when he saw me. Deep in the cerebellum, the interpositus nucleus helped lock the whole thing in, turning casual meetups into something that felt good. And the hippocampus would have been there too, stitching the setting, the conversations, and the easy laughter into memory, so the feeling stuck even after the moment had passed. Every time we laughed, a little dopamine rush would seal the deal, making the brain quietly think: "this feels good."

The (Un)Ethical Conclusion

Whether this was just an innocent way to make our hangouts more fun or a low-key case of brain-hacking. Well, that’s open to interpretation. What’s pretty clear, though, is that the brain loves finding patterns, and it’s constantly stitching together people, emotions, and experiences without us even realizing it. Classical conditioning isn’t just some theory tucked away in psychology textbooks; it’s playing out around us all the time, quietly shaping how we bond, fall for each other, and hold onto memories.
So the next time you catch yourself feeling unusually drawn to someone who always seemed to bring the best energy, it might be worth wondering: was it destiny or just really excellent movie choices?