Thảo Anh Nguyễn
There are many different signs that indicate falling in love with another person, but not everyone experiences the same ones.
Everyone is on their own journey when it comes to dating and romance—some people just fall faster than others, and we’re here to help you figure out if that special someone is really The One.
Here are 15 psychological signs of falling in love
1) You start to get excited about everything and are more social
The first psychological sign of falling in love is that you start to get excited about everything. You feel more social and talkative, and you’re always eager to go out on a date or take the next step into a relationship.
According to psychologist Kelly Campbell on her blog Psychology Today, this feeling of excitement can range from mild and fun to full-blown love.
“What is part of the experience is the uncertainty that says, “Is this really happening? Will he call? What will she say?” You want to jump for joy at the thought of him calling,” she writes.
2) Your heart races at the thought of being rejected by someone who might be interested in dating you
Of course, there’s also a more negative feeling associated with falling in love—that of being rejected.
Psychology Today notes that this fear is part of what makes love so exciting—when you think about the other person, your heart races and you feel like you can’t catch your breath. You’re either worried that they’re not interested or fearful that they are and they might reject you.
But the key here is to remember that this rush of negative emotions is completely normal, as Campbell points out. “The heart is not anxious. The heart is racing because it’s in love. It’s the same physical experience of being in love,” she writes
3) You start to feel like your physical appearance is improved
Here’s an interesting fact:
When you’re in love, it affects every single part of your life. For example, you start to feel more confident and attractive. Simple things that used to bother you now seem less important and even trivial.
It gets better:
You start to embrace your flaws because now they’re interpreted as cute or charming.
That’s right—everything about you is now adorable to your crush or your partner, including the way you look with your hair in a messy bun, sweatpants on, and no makeup on in the morning.
You also notice them getting a little bit nicer to you each day. Maybe they compliment your outfit or give you a few extra compliments here and there; even small gestures can make you fall for someone a little more each day.
4) Your feelings of anxiety are reduced or disappear
When you’re in love, your worries and fears seem less overwhelming for some reason. You don’t feel as anxious or nervous about dating or certain aspects of your relationship.
Based on the first psychological sign of falling in love, you’re probably also feeling more confident and social. Many people start to feel like they want to share their feelings or be more public about their relationship.
But wait, there’s more!
For the spiritual folks out there, this is a pretty good sign that you’re with the right person.
According to David Deida, a “shakti” is the energy of a woman who’s in love.
When you’re in love and you feel like your anxieties are reduced, that means that your shakti energy is working well and strong. Essentially, it means that the two of you were destined to be together from the start.
5) You find yourself needing to be around the person you love
Another psychological sign of falling in love is that you find yourself needing to be around the person you love.
For example, if your new crush is always busy with work, you might want to join them for lunch or show up early for a morning meeting just to hang out with them.
It’s a funny feeling because it makes you excited and motivated to do certain things. But it also means that you might be a little bit more distracted from things like work and school.
In a way, it changes your personality a bit—you become more social and talkative, and you’re always smiling. It’s an amazing feeling that definitely never gets old.
6) Your brain is flooded with dopamine and norepinephrine
Fun fact:
The brains of people in love are flooded with dopamine and norepinephrine. You might not know what these chemicals are, but they’re neurotransmitters that help us feel happy and healthy.
It’s no coincidence that the first psychological sign of falling in love is feeling more socially outgoing and positive—these brain chemicals give us heightened feelings of happiness, confidence, and attraction towards the person we love.
Don’t worry, getting high on dopamine and norepinephrine is as harmless as eating a chocolate bar. There’s no risk of addiction or long-term health problems.
In fact, these chemicals are naturally occurring in everyone’s brains, but the level of these chemicals is significantly higher when you fall in love.
7) You start to focus less on your own needs and more on theirs
Reasonable people would agree that it’s important to consider the needs of others. But in the case of falling in love, this takes on new meaning.
In fact, you start to notice a number of changes in your behavior. You might find yourself wanting to do things like buy gifts for your crush or make plans together.
But that’s not it—you feel like someone else’s needs and desires are more significant than yours. It’s a strange feeling but one that can make you infatuated with the person you love.
8) You get irritable if you’re not spending time with this person
Here’s the thing:
You don’t have a choice if you spend most of your time with this person. You may even find yourself angry or frustrated when they have to leave or go on a trip out of town.
It’s normal to feel like this, but it might make you a little bit less patient than usual. This makes sense because so many other signs of falling in love say that your needs and desires aren’t as important anymore.
9) You find things that used to bother you are no longer an issue
Think about this for a moment:
You may hate a certain type of music, but then you fall in love with a person who loves that same music. When you’re with your new love, the kind of music you hate doesn’t matter anymore.
Sounds a little crazy, but it’s true.
This is because falling in love changes your brain chemistry. You might even find yourself doing things you never thought you could do or enjoy doing before. If a person you love is into Star Trek, you might find yourself watching Star Trek spend more time with them.
10) They seem more attractive in your eyes
Another truth?
Your partner is objectively more attractive in your eyes. You might find yourself wondering why you never noticed them before… or maybe you did, but now you can’t stop thinking about them.
It’s a normal feeling and one that many people experience when they fall in love. And it probably sounds a little odd, but it makes perfect sense if you think about it – falling in love often causes people to feel more happy, confident, and less self-conscious around the person they love.
11) You start to try to impress the other person
I’m not talking about trying to impress your crush, or trying to impress other people in general. I’m talking about doing things that you wouldn’t normally do because you want to impress your crush.
For example, if the person you love is into sports, you might suddenly start playing sports more often too. Or if they like reading literature, you might start reading more too.
That might sound pretty far-fetched, but it’s not. It’s true that falling in love changes your behavior in a positive way. You may even find yourself doing things you couldn’t do before, such as exercising more and eating better.
12) You find yourself being jealous or possessive of them
Trust me, this is a difficult feeling to deal with.
It’s hard to think that you can feel possessive or jealous of another person, but it happens. And it’s one of the first psychological signs of falling in love.
When you get jealous or possessive, it’s because you feel like you can’t be around other people. You become protective of your crush, and your feelings might even get stronger and stronger when you spend time with other people or date other people.
13) You have feelings of euphoria and thrill
As we’ve discussed before, falling in love will cause some chemical changes in your brain.
But these are the most significant chemical changes that may occur when falling in love:
These chemicals—known as dopamine and norepinephrine—help you feel excited, euphoric, and happy. It’s this feeling that makes you so infatuated with the person you love—you can’t stop thinking about them.
14) Your self-esteem goes up
Let me explain:
Chemical changes in your brain help you feel happier, more confident, and motivated. And if you’re feeling these things, it’s quite likely that your self-esteem will increase because of the way you see yourself.
This is another reason why so many people say falling in love feels good. Not only are you excited about the person you love, but your self-confidence has improved as well.
15) You start to take actions that make you feel connected
These actions can include anything from spending more time together to sharing hobbies and interests.
When you’re falling in love, you feel like you need to spend more time with the person you love and get closer to them. In many ways, this is a safety mechanism of the brain:
You feel that your happiness depends on this person, so you act in ways that make them happy too.
Final thoughts
We’ve covered 15 psychological signs of falling in love. And if you think about it, these are all signs that the love you’re feeling is intense, significant, and a lot stronger than other kinds of feelings.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this article, and I’d love to hear your comments or questions in the comment section below. If you have any additional thoughts or questions on this topic, I’d also be happy to answer them in the future. Thanks for reading!
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