--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Love was not specified in the design of…" description: "\"Love was not specified in the design of your brain; it is merely an endearing algorithm that freeloads on the leftover processing cycles.\" — David Eagl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/david-eagleman-2079_algorithms_love-was-not-specified-in-the-design-of_2783981.png" --- # Love was not specified in the design of your brain; it is… ![“Love was not specified in the design of your brain; it is merely an endearing algorithm that freeloads on the leftover processing cycles.” quote by David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/david-eagleman-2079_algorithms_love-was-not-specified-in-the-design-of_2783981.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/david-eagleman-2079_algorithms_love-was-not-specified-in-the-design-of_2783981.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/david-eagleman-2079_algorithms_love-was-not-specified-in-the-design-of_2783981.png) > “Love was not specified in the design of your brain; it is merely an endearing algorithm that freeloads on the leftover processing cycles.” [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love is an algorithm that uses leftover brain processing. **In simple terms:** Love is a brain shortcut using spare resources. Key Takeaway Recognize love as a cognitive shortcut. Themes neuroscience emotion algorithm Mood thoughtful scientific Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - relationship counseling - AI empathy modeling - psychology research Key Concepts cognitive economy social bonding Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect intimacy? - Can love be engineered? A Different Perspective Reducing love to algorithm may oversimplify. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Algorithms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/algorithms/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Endearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endearing/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [Worry is evidence of an ill-controlled brain; it is merely a stupid waste of time in unpleasantness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/worry-is-evidence-of-an-ill-controlled-brain-it-is-merely-a-stupid/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [That brain of mine is something more than merely mortal; as time will show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-lovelace/that-brain-of-mine-is-something-more-than-merely-mortal-as-time-will/) [Ada Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-lovelace/) > [Knowledge fills a large brain; it merely inflates a small one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/knowledge-fills-a-large-brain-it-merely-inflates-a-small-one/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Homeopaths do not have a physical brain, but merely 'skull water' with the memory of brains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-ince/homeopaths-do-not-have-a-physical-brain-but-merely-skull-water-with/) [Robin Ince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-ince/) > [Jaws was still a handsome, big guy. He got the girl. He was my favorite villain. I tried to make this guy endearing somewhat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yune/jaws-was-still-a-handsome-big-guy-he-got-the-girl-he-was-my-favorite/) [Rick Yune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yune/) > [Cars are like children: It's hard to say that any one is more special than the other. There are little things about each car…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-lauren/cars-are-like-children-it-s-hard-to-say-that-any-one-is-more-special/) [Ralph Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-lauren/) > [I was pretty awkward when I was young, but I was never afraid of putting myself out there. I would say stupid things but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-nayyar/i-was-pretty-awkward-when-i-was-young-but-i-was-never-afraid-of/) [Kunal Nayyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-nayyar/) > [October— You were sleeping so peacefully that I was loath to wake you. Duke Torquill, after demanding to know what I was doing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/october-you-were-sleeping-so-peacefully-that-i-was-loath-to-wake-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life, for all its agonies...is exciting and beautiful, amusing and artful and endearing...and whatever is to come after it -- we shall not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/life-for-all-its-agonies-is-exciting-and-beautiful-amusing-and-artful/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [“I come home from work this evening there was a note in the frying pan said Fix Your Own Supper Babe I Run Off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prine/i-come-home-from-work-this-evening-there-was-a-note-in-the-frying-pan/) [John Prine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prine/) > [Performers like Tommy Cooper, who are always getting things wrong, are much more endearing than comedians who are sassy and smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/performers-like-tommy-cooper-who-are-always-getting-things-wrong-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [there are few things that are more endearing than the grace of listening with attention; indeed, it is more than endearing, it is impressive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/there-are-few-things-that-are-more-endearing-than-the-grace-of/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [I don't suppose God laughs at the people who think He doesn't exist. He's above jokes. But the devil isn't. That's one of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/i-don-t-suppose-god-laughs-at-the-people-who-think-he-doesn-t-exist/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Even children follow'd with endearing wile, And pluck'd his gown, to share the good man's smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/even-children-follow-d-with-endearing-wile-and-pluck-d-his-gown-to/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [I've heard people tell me there's never been a gay character like Agron on TV before, and some fans have even thanked me because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-feuerriegel/i-ve-heard-people-tell-me-there-s-never-been-a-gay-character-like/) [Dan Feuerriegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-feuerriegel/) ## More by David Eagleman > [We're trapped on this very thin slice of perception ... But even at that slice of reality that we call home, we're not seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-re-trapped-on-this-very-thin-slice-of-perception-but-even-at-that/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [Visual cortex is fundamentally a machine whose job is to generate a model of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/visual-cortex-is-fundamentally-a-machine-whose-job-is-to-generate-a/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [If you ever feel lazy or dull, take heart: you're the busiest, brightest thing on the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/if-you-ever-feel-lazy-or-dull-take-heart-you-re-the-busiest-brightest/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [We are not conscious of most things until we ask ourselves questions about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-are-not-conscious-of-most-things-until-we-ask-ourselves-questions/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [“with the knowledge that you cannot appreciate the destination without knowing the starting point; you cannot revel in the simplicity unless you remember the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/with-the-knowledge-that-you-cannot-appreciate-the-destination-without/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [“If an epileptic seizure is focused in a particular sweet spot in the temporal lobe, a person won´t have motor seizures, but instead something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/if-an-epileptic-seizure-is-focused-in-a-particular-sweet-spot-in-the/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [The deep secret of the brain is that not only the spinal cord but the entire central nervous system works this way: internally generated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/the-deep-secret-of-the-brain-is-that-not-only-the-spinal-cord-but-the/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [When people fall in love, there´s period of up to three years during which the zeal and infatuation ride at a peak. The internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/when-people-fall-in-love-there-s-period-of-up-to-three-years-during/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [The majority of human beings live their whole lives unaware that they are only seeing a limited cone of vision at any moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/the-majority-of-human-beings-live-their-whole-lives-unaware-that-they/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [Our ignorance of the cosmos is too vast to commit to atheism, and yet we know too much to commit to a particular religion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/our-ignorance-of-the-cosmos-is-too-vast-to-commit-to-atheism-and-yet/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [“As Gazzaniga put it, "these findings all suggest that the interpretive mechanism of the left hemisphere is always hard at work, seeking the meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/as-gazzaniga-put-it-these-findings-all-suggest-that-the-interpretive/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [I spent my adult life as a scientist, and science is, essentially, the most successful approach we have to try and understand the vast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/i-spent-my-adult-life-as-a-scientist-and-science-is-essentially-the/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [When the brain activity is kindled in the right spot, people hear voices. If a physician prescribes an anti-epileptic medication, the seizures go away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/when-the-brain-activity-is-kindled-in-the-right-spot-people-hear/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [“Platoons and plays and stores and congresses do not end - they simply move on to a different dimension.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/platoons-and-plays-and-stores-and-congresses-do-not-end-they-simply/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [Awareness of your surroundings occurs only when sensory inputs violate expectations. When the world is successfully predicted away, awareness is not needed because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/awareness-of-your-surroundings-occurs-only-when-sensory-inputs/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) [Explore all 183 David Eagleman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) ## More Algorithms quotes > [ With recidivism algorithms, for example, I worry about racist outcomes. With personality tests \[for hiring\], I worry about filtering out people with mental health… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/with-recidivism-algorithms-for-example-i-worry-about-racist-outcomes/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“He considers it for a moment and spits out the seeds, which sprout, quickly, into tiny junkblossoms sizzling with recursive algorithms. The algorithms wriggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/he-considers-it-for-a-moment-and-spits-out-the-seeds-which-sprout/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“no matter how much tech companies talk about algorithms like they’re nothing but advanced math, they always reflect the values of their creators:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-wachter-boettcher/no-matter-how-much-tech-companies-talk-about-algorithms-like-they-re/) [Sara Wachter-Boettcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-wachter-boettcher/) > [Google has - at least at this point - maintained the line where it keeps organic results separate from the advertisements. But over time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/google-has-at-least-at-this-point-maintained-the-line-where-it-keeps/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [ The classes of problems which are respectively known and not known to have good algorithms are of great theoretical interest. \[...\] I conjecture that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-edmonds/the-classes-of-problems-which-are-respectively-known-and-not-known-to/) [Jack Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-edmonds/) > [No one knows what the right algorithm is, but it gives us hope that if we can discover some crude approximation of whatever this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ng/no-one-knows-what-the-right-algorithm-is-but-it-gives-us-hope-that-if/) [Andrew Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ng/) > [“Data Scientists should recall innovation often times is not providing fancy algorithms, but rather value to the customer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-mingle/data-scientists-should-recall-innovation-often-times-is-not-providing/) [Damian Mingle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-mingle/) > [I don't think anybody's ever notified that they were sentenced to an extra two years because their recidivism score had been high, or notified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/i-don-t-think-anybody-s-ever-notified-that-they-were-sentenced-to-an/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [ Object-oriented programming aficionados think that everything is an object… this \[isn't\] so. There are things that are objects. Things that have state and change… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-stepanov/object-oriented-programming-aficionados-think-that-everything-is-an/) [Alexander Stepanov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-stepanov/) > [ \[The Euclidean algorithm is\] the granddaddy of all algorithms, because it is the oldest nontrivial algorithm that has survived to the present day. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-knuth/the-euclidean-algorithm-is-the-granddaddy-of-all-algorithms-because/) [Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-knuth/) > [I like to think our brains are a bit like algorithms. Whatever you give it and feed it, you get out the product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-mckenna/i-like-to-think-our-brains-are-a-bit-like-algorithms-whatever-you/) [Declan McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-mckenna/) > [Bitcoin is not “unregulated”. It is regulated by algorithm instead of being regulated by government bureaucracies. Un-corrupted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-antonopoulos/bitcoin-is-not-unregulated-it-is-regulated-by-algorithm-instead-of/) [Andreas Antonopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-antonopoulos/) > [It took me 1057 pages to describe the hundreds of mathematical equations, algorithms and programming techniques that I invented and used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-emeagwali/it-took-me-1057-pages-to-describe-the-hundreds-of-mathematical/) [Philip Emeagwali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-emeagwali/) > [“We will start by sketching the recursive algorithm and then add details to get to a full description of the algorithm. Footnote : Translation:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sariel-har-peled/we-will-start-by-sketching-the-recursive-algorithm-and-then-add/) Sariel Har-Peled > [The emphasis on mathematical methods seems to be shifted more towards combinatorics and set theory - and away from the algorithm of differential equations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-von-neumann/the-emphasis-on-mathematical-methods-seems-to-be-shifted-more-towards/) [John von Neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-von-neumann/) [Browse all 154 Algorithms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/algorithms/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Love was not specified in the design of your brain; it is merely an endearing algorithm that freeloads on the leftover processing cycles.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Eagleman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/love-was-not-specified-in-the-design-of-your-brain-it-is-merely-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Algorithms" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/love-was-not-specified-in-the-design-of-your-brain-it-is-merely-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/david-eagleman-2079_algorithms_love-was-not-specified-in-the-design-of_2783981.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/david-eagleman-2079_algorithms_love-was-not-specified-in-the-design-of_2783981.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/david-eagleman-2079_algorithms_love-was-not-specified-in-the-design-of_2783981.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Love was not specified in the design of your brain; it is merely an endearing algorithm that freeloads on…” — David Eagleman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Eagleman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Love was not specified in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/love-was-not-specified-in-the-design-of-your-brain-it-is-merely-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/love-was-not-specified-in-the-design-of-your-brain-it-is-merely-an/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```