Ever fallen in love at first sight or lived the friends-to-lovers trope in real life? No one really knows when and with whom they might fall head over heels over. Likewise, there exists no meter or timeline that helps you figure out if what you are feeling is love or mere attraction. There have been many studies to understand this and this is what we are here to discuss.
The Science
Physiologically speaking, those crazy chemicals in your body acting up and starting the rush takes 1/5 of a second. Does this mean that you actually fall in love within a second of meeting someone? No. Falling in love is a whole process, it’s not just the rush you feel every time someone talks to you nicely or is kind. Various stages together form the whole process. Starting from being attracted to someone and eventually finding a soulmate in them, everything that happens in between takes time.
Typically Speaking
Well, no studies have been able to figure out exactly when your partner might be feeling the way you are. But typically, men take around 97 days into a relationship to feel this wonderful emotion. However, with women, this can take up to 149 days. These stats were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in the year 2011.
Does Love at First Sight Exist?
After what you have read up until now, it might come to you as a shock but there have been many studies that prove that people can fall in love at first sight and that it’s not just attraction. According to Professor Loretta G. Breuning, founder of the Inner Mammal and author of Habits of a Happy Brain, the human brain is automatically focused on reproduction. Even if you think you don’t want to be a part of it, your brain works otherwise and therefore you are bound to fall in love. When you come home after your first date with someone and feel like you are in love, this is what happens: initially, dopamine flows through your brain and generates happy sensations. Thereafter, oxytocin, or the love hormone, plays its part and makes you feel attracted to the person. Wrapping it up, Serotonin is released based on what your partner does.