Does Love at First Sight REALLY Exist?
By: Yulia Melnyk
Tags: Dating Advice, Love, Dating, Relationships

Did you know that it only takes a fifth of a second to fall in love?

This means you can bump into a stranger somewhere and almost immediately fall in love at first sight with them.

Ah, love at first sight.

From Snow white and the prince falling in love the moment they saw each other, to Ariel wanting to give up her tail as soon as she saw Eric. This concept is commonly seen in fairytales or rom-com movies, as it is simply so fantasy-like that it’s hard to believe it can really happen in reality.

If you ask people whether they believe it, you’ll likely receive a mixed bag of answers. Some may and might even say they’ve experienced it, while some may simply not. Besides, can people really have an intimate connection in a snap?

Do you believe that love at first sight exists?

Or perhaps, have you experienced it before?

But how do you know it’s love at first sight?

Here are some possible signs:

1. You feel queasy when meeting or talking to them.

Butterflies in your stomach? It isn’t just a metaphor. It certainly happens whenever you’re falling in love.

Falling in love activates a part of your brain which causes a physiological response. So, while love is mostly a brain activity, it has a direct impact on your digestive system. The butterflies in your stomach can be a result of excitement or nervousness from meeting someone you really like.

Not only that, you would know if you might be falling for the person or that they are special to you, if you feel a lot of things. Your heart speeds up, you may start feeling hot and most especially you’ll have a smile that simply won’t leave your face.

2. You want to know everything about them.

But not in a creepy, stalker kind of way, of course.

Rather, you have this genuine fascination about the other person. You want to get to know them, their thoughts and opinions about different matters — it especially is serious, if you care about whether your opinions match.

This is commonly an indication that you might be falling for them.

Having this sincere curiosity about someone is a good sign that you want more connection with them. Curiosity leads to asking more questions, which then leads to an intimate conversation. Less curious and invested people are more likely to stick to small and uninterested talks.

3. They’re the only person you see

Ever notice in movies, that when the character finally meets their love interest it’s as if the world around them fades away until all they see is that person?

Well apparently, that also happens in reality.

But it doesn’t literally make all the other people disappear, it’s just that you will tend to focus on that person and that person alone.

You might want to maintain eye contact to either consciously (or even subconsciously) flirt with them. It could also be that you’re simply paying close attention to them in general. When it comes to attraction, eye contact is important, and being attentive to the other person is a giving indicator of interest.

4. You’ll feel very comfortable and familiar in their presence

According to Psychologist Donna Novak, we feel an overwhelming sense of comfort and familiarity towards what we’re interested in. So, when you see someone you instantly like, it’s very common to feel as if you’ve already met before.

That means when you interact, nothing feels forced.

It’s hard to connect with someone new because you’d feel nervous around them. But couples that have been together for a longer time feel completely relaxed and can freely be themselves. When you experience love at first sight, your meeting may feel like the latter. Things will feel familiar and you won’t have trouble just being yourself.

But, is love at first sight really love?

Reason tells us that love at first sight is actually just lust or infatuation at first sight. There’s no way to believe that an intimate and committed love can immediately blossom between people, especially if they have never met or spoken before.

The attraction and interest developed with “love at first sight” can instead be associated with the Halo Effect: a cognitive bias wherein our overall impression of a person will affect how we feel and think about them.

For example, if they came to your date looking very presentable and acted very elegantly — overall a very good-looking person, then you would think that they are also overall kind and perfect despite not knowing them that much yet.

This means that affection when you fall in love at first sight is purely based on physical attraction. It may still be considered love, but not the type of love that marriage or any long term relationship requires.

Despite this, it doesn’t mean that it can’t have its chances of playing out and turning into something more. So, while you might feel so sure about your emotions, you still need to take time after the first meeting to really get to know the person.

So, is love at first sight really possible?

Overall, it really depends on your psychological state of mind.

If you believe in love, are open to falling in love, and if you already have a preconceived notion of what you like then love at first is a possible thing for you.

The final verdict really depends on you.

If you feel an extreme attraction towards a person, no matter when within the process you feel it, then you should definitely approach them and get to know them better. See if the spark is more than just a one-time thing.

Just because it initially started as physical attraction, doesn’t mean it can’t develop to something more genuine. Love needs time to develop.

If you believe in love at first sight, don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t real. It can definitely happen if you believe it.