Infatuation and love can be difficult to distinguish, but infatuation is intense and short-lived, caused by hormones, while love is calmer and deeper, based on shared respect and compromise. Love lasts longer and allows for disagreements and flaws. Relationships can mature from infatuation to love.
Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between infatuation and love. This is especially true in the beginning of a relationship. It’s easy to think you’ve found true love as the intensity of infatuation takes over your life. Love, however, rarely comes suddenly. It’s a slow, gradual process that can only happen after the rush to infatuation starts to subside.
Infatuation describes the intense range of feelings present at the beginning of most relationships; sweaty palms, pounding heart, butterflies in my stomach. The world is a better, more beautiful place because the object of your affection is with you. Every time you tap it is thrilling, you remember every conversation and your thoughts revolve around them. In more common terms, this is a crush. Crushes are a very real and normal part of human life. Everyone experiences at least one crush at some point in their life.
Infatuation is caused by a chemical reaction in the body. The hormones released account for some of the feelings of euphoria. In truth, you are “high” on dopamine. This is an important evolutionary response to meeting a potential future mate. These hormones ensure that two people spend enough time together to eventually produce children, thus ensuring the survival of the species.
Love, on the other hand, is a calmer, more mature feeling. It’s a sense of stability. Love is still exciting at times. It can change from day to day. Love takes work. The feelings are not supported by high levels of hormones, but by a shared love and respect for one another. Love is what exists after the infatuation wears off, if you’re lucky.
Infatuation and love are different in many ways. While both elicit pleasurable feelings, the feeling of infatuation is more intense than the feeling of love. Love may not be that intense, but it’s usually a much deeper emotion. Relationships that start as infatuation can mature into love.
One of the biggest differences between infatuation and love is how long each can last. The infatuation can last, at most, several months before it starts to fade. Love, on the other hand, is capable of lasting fifty years or more, if both people in the relationship work for it. Infatuation is almost effortless. Everything that is put into the relationship is because you want it. Everything you do for the other person is a source of great pleasure for you as well. It’s not always like this in love. Do things you don’t want to do, things you won’t get pleasure from, because it’s the right thing to do. Love is about compromise.
Infatuation and love are both different in the amount of unpleasant tensions that are part of the relationship on some days. Infatuation discourages any real disagreements from happening. You both are on your best behavior during any time you spend together. Anything that could cause a discrepancy with the idea of a perfect relationship is avoided. Everything is perfect and nobody wants to ruin it.
Love allows people to be who they really are. While arguments aren’t encouraged, they do happen. Sometimes they happen often, especially in times of stress. Love is admitting that your partner has flaws, and so do you, but that’s okay. You have realistic expectations of each other. Love is accepting.
Infatuation and love are two separate emotions and there are many differences between them. They are, however, similar in some ways. Infatuation is like a new pair of dress shoes, while love is like the old, comfortable sneakers you’ve had for years. Infatuation is fun, while it lasts. Eventually, however, the evening ends and you put on sneakers that fit perfectly, even if they are starting to sag at the seams and the tread is worn. This is what happens in relationships. As the shine of infatuation fades, couples move into a happy place where, even if there are problems, they know they can depend on each other to provide the love and support they need. This is the difference between infatuation and love.
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