Why the stamp was issued:  To continue the popular Love Series and provide stamps to complement messages sent to loved ones. Ideal for thank you notes, get well cards, and more.

About the stamp design:  Pictures horizontal lines of red and pink hearts on a white background. As the red hearts replace the pink ones in the center of the stamp, they form a large red heart.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

About the Love Series:  Based on the popularity of Christmas stamps, the issued its first Love stamp in 1973. It wasn’t intended to be the start of a series, and, in fact, it wasn’t until 1982 that another Love stamp was issued. Love-themed stamps were issued sporadically over the next few years. The stated that they weren’t intended just for Valentine’s Day mail, but also for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions.

In 1987, the officially declared it a series, and new Love stamps have been issued nearly every year since. Love stamps are on sale longer than most commemorative stamps and are usually printed in greater quantities. They have sometimes been known to go back to press for additional printings if demand is sufficient.

History the stamp represents:  Love. What a powerful four letter word. Since the dawn of time, humans have tried to explain it, express it, write it, draw it, sculpt it, and study it. Scientists have been trying to determine what it is. And the difference between loving your mom, loving chocolate, and loving that cute neighbor.

American anthropologist Helen Fisher has become an expert in the field of love. She has done many studies trying to understand love’s effect on the brain. Fisher and her team have come to determine that when you are in love, the ventra tegmental area (VTA) becomes active. This part of the brain is associated with wanting, motivation, focus, and craving.

Oddly enough, it is the same part of the brain that becomes active when a person gets high from an addictive drug. However, Fisher says love is much worse than drugs because there is no coming down. Love consumes you. Fisher’s team also found that the cerebral cortex – the part of the brain associated with judgment and reasoning – becomes deactivated when you are in love. It is no wonder “love is blind” is a common saying.

What draws people together is still being studied, but it is safe to say the mysteries of love will never be fully uncovered. Knowing the facts does nothing to dampen the actual experience of love.