Love is a beautiful phenomenon that is almost impossible to explain, one can only feel it within themselves. As a human, it is really important to feel this fantastic emotion at least once or else life is not well spent. It basically hijacks our functionality, it takes over our thought process and cleanses us of our negative emotions as it is seen people in love start to love the world in general. While some find their match after a long investment in friendship and slowly start to feel a connection with someone, some just seem to click with just by the sight of another person. Love, at first sight, is seen as one of the most romanticized and let’s be honest cinematic cliché types of events but is there any basis to it? Or are we just mindlessly led by the movie industry into finding our soulmates based on just looks?
What is love?
A couple in love.
Well, according to science love is a series of intense emotions and behaviors characterized by passion and commitment which are generated for a specific individual. It involves the understanding and care from and for both people engaged in the process along with a sense of protectiveness and trust. Also, hormones play an essential role when it comes to love. So basically it is the secretion of hormones that are usually not present when a person is not in love. Funnily enough, it has not much to do with the heart, so I guess no point in using the heart emoticon.
Science of love at first sight
Countless studies have been done on love and according to scientists, around 12 areas of our brain work in harmony to release chemicals and hormones, the most noticeable being oxytocin that gives us the definition feeling of love. But in the case of love at first sight, how can it occur if we don’t even know the person yet?
A scientist observing a green liquid symbolizing research on love.
- Our own desires: According to researchers, love at first sight can happen countless times. Well, bummer. But it is true, they state that our desire to feel loved, appreciated and general limerence is going to be attached to a person regardless if you’ve met this individual or not. Not only that but single individuals over time tend to create this ideal image and personality of a person within our mind and unconsciously start to compare every individual they see based on those characteristics. Once we meet someone or cross paths with an individual who resembles those traits, vaguely it may be we relate this feeling with love and it may as well be love. All you need to do from here is break the ice.
- Deeply rooted in us: Another fascinating thing that was found is that prior to even having this idea or even before we developed a proper speech, love at first sight may have been a thing. Cavemen were not the philosophical kind that is established, however, they still must have possessed such feelings and desire otherwise we wouldn’t be here. Human brains are designed to distinguish friends, enemies, and potential partners from one another. This according to scientists may be the reason why some put so much emphasis on first impressions.
- The harsh reality: Love at first sight can be a beautiful thing, however, we must keep in mind that it doesn’t happen mutually, not in the starting at least. You may have opened the flood gate of feelings for a person, but that individual may not even know you exist. It is sad, I know. It is like a light switch, you flip it and generate that feeling within you. But does another person feel the same? That is the important aspect of it.
After all the research, scientists claim that what we know as love at first sight might as well be nothing more than our desire for lust and attraction to physical aspects which usually fade away after a couple of hours. Whereas love is something that goes on for way longer.
Ultimately, what you define as “Love” is entirely upon you and how you fall in it is up to you. If you happen to feel butterflies at the very first sight of a person just go for it and spark a conversation. Who knows you may prove science wrong.
