“Love at first sight” is a phenomenon that has been studied and debated for centuries.
It is the experience of feeling an instant, intense, and sexual attraction for a stranger upon first seeing them. While there is no scientific consensus on whether or not love at first sight is real, there is some evidence to suggest that it may be a valid experience — although not a long-lasting one.
A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people who reported experiencing love at first sight were more likely to be in love and satisfied with their relationships six months later than those who did not report the experience. The study also found that people who experienced love at first sight were more likely to idealize their partners and believe that they were meant to be together.
I found this to be almost unbelievable, until I realized that the phrase, “more likely to idealize their partners” really was the key to understanding the phenomenon: If you believe that you’ve found love at first sight, you’ll treat your partner as though they are the love of your life… for as long as you can. You’ll ignore red flags, you’ll paper over flaws, you’ll wear rose-colored glasses until reality slaps you in the face.
And there’s a kind of comfort in that, isn’t there? You’ll be happy to be together at least until such time as you both decide to LOVE each other, after the feeling of ‘being in love’ passes. I describe this in detail in other posts, so I won’t rehash it here.
Another study, published in the journal Psychological Science, found that people who reported experiencing love at first sight were more likely to experience a surge of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, when they saw a picture of their love interest. This suggests that love at first sight may be triggered by a surge of brain activity that makes us feel intense attraction to another person.
This study made me sit up and actually say, “DUH!!” Love at first sight, being in love with someone, is an entirely sexual-attraction experience, so of course we’ll feel a dopamine rush when we see their picture!!
While the research on love at first sight is inconclusive, it is clear that this is a powerful (and sometimes life-changing) experience for some people.
If you have experienced love at first sight, it is important to remember that it is just the beginning of the journey. Getting to know someone takes time and effort, and it is important to build a relationship based on mutual respect, trust, and communication. To build a LOVE relationship out of a love at first sight experience is absolutely possible, if you are desirous of doing so.
Love is a verb.
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