Think you've found the one?
Love is a tricky beast. A big, beautiful, and occasionally scary beast that can be difficult to understand.
Many of us have heard stories about that first glance across a room and the immediate certainty that this was the person for you. Whether or not you believe in love at first sight, it's undeniable that there are fundamental differences between how people fall in love and how they stay in love. What makes you click with a stranger might not necessarily be what keeps your relationship going strong after years together.
The way we typically think of falling in love is with a swooping feeling in our stomachs and a tingly little jolt we can't quite pin down. But what happens after those tingles subside? How do you manage to keep the passion alive?
While there isn't one universally accepted definition of love at first sight, the common thread among everyone who has experienced it is that it's a powerful and immediate visceral reaction to someone you've just met. You may feel like you've always known them, or that you know exactly who they are as a person before you've even spoken to them. It's often related to physical attraction, but it's also possible to feel this way based on someone's personality or energy alone. Many people report feeling an instant sense of calm or comfort in the presence of their future partner, or feeling immediately overcome with passion.
The experience seems to be largely subjective. Some people only report feelings of love at first sight for one person, while others say they've experienced it multiple times. It's also not clear whether love at first sight is something that happens for most people, and we just don't talk about it because it feels so intense and personal.
Indeed, the idea of falling in love with someone without having met them in person is one that many people have become familiar with in an era where online dating is more popular than ever. Perhaps the feelings we experience when we see someone online are similar to what we would feel if we encountered them in real life?
In Conclusion
Love: it's the basis for so many of our greatest life stories, whether we're talking about Romeo and Juliet, or your little sister who met her husband at a bar. You may feel like you've always known them, or that you know exactly who they are as a person before you've even spoken to them. "That's my person," you think, even before they've said a word. It's often related to physical attraction, but it's also possible to feel this way based on someone's personality or energy alone. Many people report feeling an instant sense of calm or comfort in the presence of their future partner, or feeling immediately overcome with passion.
The most important thing about all these feelings is not whether they're "right" or not—it's how they make you feel. There aren't any rules for relationships; if you're meant to be together, you'll find a way to make it work.
Love at first sight isn't just limited to physical attraction—it can also happen when you're drawn to someone's personality or energy, or feel an instant sense of calm or comfort in their presence. Many people describe it as feeling like they've known their future partner for a long time, even though they just met them.
So the next time your heart skips a beat the moment you lock eyes with someone, rest assured that there's something behind it—even if you don't fall in love with them, there's still a reason you felt that way.
