How to Know if You Are in Love

Nothing in this world could be more complicated, intense, and confusing than love. However, above all these, it’s the greatest feeling of all. There is nothing more blissful than the feeling of being in love and knowing that there is a strong possibility that it will be reciprocated.

How would you know if you’re in love with another person? What are the signs of being in love? Is it love, crush, or mere infatuation? Let’s dig deeper into what love means.

Love goes far beyond physical attraction. It is not superficial, but rather a more profound feeling towards another person. Love can make almost anyone feel vulnerable, particularly those that are not very much in-tune with their own emotions. This may cause them to suppress their feelings of love by toughing up in an attempt to ignore them.

However, there are some who act impulsively and can easily announce to the whole world that they are truly in love.

From a scientific point of view, a study spearheaded by Helen Fisher, a well-renowned anthropologist at Rutgers University, claims that there is indeed something uniquely different in the brain of a person who’s in love.

Research experts discovered that the brain of a person who is in love looks different from that of another who’s merely having lustful feelings. It’s also not similar to the brain of someone who is in a long-term relationship. The study further reveals that the “phase of being in love” is a clear-cut and distinct period of time that is well-characterized by the brain’s chemical responses.

So with that, let’s give credit to the human brain’s amazing ability to release chemicals that trigger strong feelings of love.

Given all these explanations about being in love, how would you know if you’re currently in that phase right now? Here’s how to know if you’re in love;

1. You Think of This Person as Unique and Special.

When you’re in love, you begin to think of this person as unique and different from the others. You see all the good qualities, and you’re instantly drawn to them – like a magnet.

This feeling goes hand-in-hand with the inability to feel the same level of passion or likeness for anyone else. Such biological response comes from the increased levels of central dopamine, a brain chemical that has something to do with focus, attention, and attraction.

Let’s correlate this with how you usually feel when you’re in love. Assuming that there is this one girl that you find special, and you believe that there is practically no one that can measure up to her qualities. Your admiration for this person goes stronger every time you witness just how wonderful and great she is.

No matter what she does, you appreciate her even more, and your admiration for her gets deeper – and you simply cannot explain why.

If this is how you feel towards someone, it could be the chemical reactions in your brain that are working. They are causing you to fall in love with this person. There is no clear explanation as to why these things happen. Sometimes, love comes without warning or reason.

However, you can always justify it with your feelings. So if you see a person as someone special and beyond compare, that’s your brain that’s telling you, “you’re in love”.

2. You’re Addicted to Her.

Love causes significant changes to the brain. At the start of a relationship, the joy, and excitement that people feel manifest as heightened neural activity in areas rich in dopamine. This has something to do with obsessive thinking, which is common among people who are in love.

Are you constantly thinking about her? Do you feel addicted to her presence? Is there a strong sense of satisfaction whenever you’re with her?

If your answer is “yes”, then you are really in love with this person. People in love get overly obsessed with this person’s mere thought, and thinking about her can be very addicting beyond reason.

3. Your Playlist Revolves Around Her.

When you’re in love, you tend to listen to songs that remind you of that person. You have a strong inclination to come up with a playlist with something to do with her, and you associate the lyrics with how you feel. This is one of the most common behaviors of people who are in love. They sing, hum to the tunes, and get excited whenever they hear songs that remind them of their feelings for that person.

This is something that clearly defines affection. Among those in love, songs become a source of expression, especially when words are not enough to describe their feelings. If you happen to associate a love song with romantic thoughts about someone, consider yourself in love.

4. You Get Nervous and Excited Around This Person.

In as much as you feel euphoric whenever you’re around this person, you also get nervous. This could be due to the excitement and strong anticipation of what’s coming next. Love is an overwhelming feeling that is oftentimes hard to process. As a result, you can get nervous and thrilled at the same time.

As the experts say, when you’re overwhelmed by your emotions, your perception of many things changes. You can compare it to the feeling of being fully awake and overly excited. It’s like finding someone that makes everything around you new seems new and inspiring.

So if you find yourself suddenly getting excited over-familiar things simply because you’re doing them with that special person, it could be a sign that you are in love.

5. You’re Motivated to Become a Better Person.

You know you are in love when being with that special person makes you want to improve yourself in many ways. You are suddenly inspired to set new goals, work on your physical appearance, and develop a more positive outlook on life and your future.

Needless to say, if the feelings that you have towards this person are pushing you to become better, you have been bitten by the love bug.

Being in love comes with maturity. That is what sets love apart from infatuation. Love gives you the motivation to achieve more things in life to become worthy and deserving of that person, while infatuation is just a fleeting emotion that focuses more on short-lived obsession and extreme neediness.

Assess your feelings carefully because there is a very thin line the separates being in love with mere infatuation. If you’re suddenly motivated and inspired to become a better person, you are most likely in love since you are viewing things from a wider and more mature perspective.

6. You Feel Jealous – but in a Good Way.

A hint of jealousy without suspicion is actually healthy. From a revolutionary standpoint, jealousy is a feeling or expression that helps romantic connections stay intact. It enables the parties involved to develop a certain level of sensitivity to potential threats. Individuals that are in love who experience jealousy tend to have a stronger commitment to the relationship.

However, try to keep jealousy at its right place. It shouldn’t be damaging or destructive in any way. Remember that there are two types of jealousy, Emotional Jealousy, and Suspicious Jealousy. Emotional Jealousy is usually caused by positive factors such as trust and loyalty, while Suspicious Jealousy involves taking actions that could break the trust, such as stalking.

Therefore, it’s safe to say that it’s perfectly fine to feel jealous as long as the feeling is not due to low self-esteem, anxiety, and insecurity. These factors are the root causes of destructive behaviors. Otherwise, a subtle expression of jealousy could mean that you’re definitely in love, and you recognize your competitors.

7. You’re Overly Curious About This Person.

Perhaps there are only two types of persons who can beat a private detective in gathering information; a suspicious wife and a person who is in love. How curious are you about this special person in your life? Maybe you spend a lot of your free time searching for her online, checking out her social media, and looking for potential links that might lead you to her.

Exerting your time and energy in finding as much information as you can about her is typical, particularly if it’s feeding your curiosity. Don’t feel guilty about it as long as it’s not disrupting your everyday routine, and if it’s the surest way to get closer to her.

We all have to formulate our strategies, one way or another. So if you’re overly curious about her personal life, interests, hobbies, and circle of friends, it could be a sure sign that her charm smites you.

8. You Always Check Your Phone.

If you’re glancing at your phone all the time, hoping that you have a message from her, consider yourself lovesick. This is one of the most apparent signs that you are in love – when you’re constantly hoping to hear from her.

After all, we live in a technology-driven world where everything is at the tip of our fingertips. It only takes one message to get to a person, so it’s natural to hope that she might reach out to you at anytime.

Apart from checking if you happen to have a message from her, you might also find yourself re-reading her old text messages to make up for missing her desperately. If reading her messages all over again brings a smile on your face and sends you warmth and comfort, the chances are that you are head over heels in love with this special person in your life.

Wrapping Up

Sometimes, it’s hard to admit that we are in love. In fact, the biggest obstacle of all is denial. It takes a whole lot of courage to face this truth, especially if there’s a significant amount of uncertainty in the situation. Love brings out the vulnerability in every person. However, if you’re brave enough to make a confession about being in love, you must be ready to handle the “make or break” moment that comes after.

Remember that wherever love is, the potential for heartbreak can never be too far behind. Just the same, finding blissful joy is also right around the corner. So don’t be afraid to find out if you’re truly in love and to pursue it by all means. The bottom line is that we are all fully entitled to love and to be loved back in return.