You couldn’t be happier, and a person you know is the cause of it. But is it love or infatuation? Here is the low-down on all of the infatuation symptoms!
Have you ever felt this way? You can’t focus on anything, and you can’t get anything accomplished! You’re constantly thinking about the object of your affection, checking your phone for their reply, and it’s like you’re going through withdrawals. You need more of this person. And that is just one sign of the infatuation symptoms!
Is this love? Probably not, at least not yet, but it’s definitely infatuation. If you’re completely obsessed, then you know what this feels like.
You may think you’ve fallen in love, and hopefully you have, but don’t jump to conclusions right away.
If this is infatuation, of course, you need to enjoy every moment. Also keep yourself reminded of your emotions. Infatuation leads to love and a relationship, but it can also lead to heartbreak.
The infatuation symptoms: How to tell if it’s love or not
Love and lust is one hell of a drug. If you want to know if you’re completely smitten by someone and obsessed beyond just a simple crush, these are the infatuation symptoms you need to keep an eye on!
1. You can’t focus on anything else
It’s taking you twice as long to finish a simple task, you’re not listening when people talk to you and you find yourself making stupid mistakes.
It’s horrible, you feel like you’ve lost control of your body and mind.
2. Everything reminds you of them
That cupcake in the window shop? It reminds you of the shots you two pounded back at the bar. Or the song on the radio, totally reminds you of the way they smile.
Everything has some connection to them even when in reality, there’s no connection. You just want to have them on your mind all day and night. This is definitely one of the infatuation symptoms.
3. They’re all you want to talk about
Your friends and family have been patient. However, if they have to listen to another story about this person, they’re going to explode.
If they’re all you can talk about, it’s safe to say you’re infatuated. Love isn’t obsession, lust is.
4. You’re defensive if someone knew them before you
If you know someone that knew your new flame before you did, you’re highly defensive. Maybe this person tells you that your flame is known to be a cheater or liar, but you have their back 100%.
Infatuation is blinding, so, whatever anyone tells you, don’t just disregard it as false information. Keep it in the back of your head.
5. Your friends and family don’t see it
Another one of the infatuation symptoms is that no one can understand why you’re with this person.
You’ve probably been in this situation before. In fact, you might have been completely infatuated with someone previously as well. Now, you might get why your friends and family were confused, because you were not a match. But at the time, that person you liked was your life.
Remember, your friends and family know you very well, and they can see a true connection a mile away.
6. You change what you want to match them
You used to want to have kids and a beach house, but, they don’t want children and prefer apartment living.
Well, suddenly, you don’t mind not having kids and you could do apartment living, why not? Nooo! This is not what it’s about, people. If you’re willing to scrap all your dreams for this person, it’s not love.
7. You just met
You’re trying not to tell them you love them even though you just met them ten minutes ago.
Listen, you don’t love them, at least not now. In reality, you just want to have sex with them. So, have sex with them, spend time together, and wait a bit to see how you feel then.
8. You’re willing to change core values
All of a sudden, your core beliefs are going out the window for this person. Maybe you’re a vegetarian and they’re not.
Well, now, you’re buying a giant steak for dinner. If this was love, you wouldn’t feel like you should change.
9. You put them on a pedestal
They’re literally the smartest, best looking, funniest person you’ve ever met. This is one of the biggest infatuation symptoms.
You feel that in some ways you’re less than them, that you don’t know what they’re doing with someone like you because they’re so much better. But that isn’t how it’s supposed to be. If it’s mutual, they see you both as equals and you should do the same.
10. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to you
Better than when you graduated from college or landed your first promotion, it’s the best thing since chocolate. Listen, it’s not the best thing that’ll ever happen to you.
Loving someone isn’t supposed to be the highlight of your life, though, it feels amazing, the journey through life is what matters.
11. It feels as though you know everything about them
It’s like you’ve known each other for years, there’s nothing you don’t know about them. But in reality, you have no idea who they are.
Can you actually be sure that’s even their name? Exactly. Love is when you start to see who they are, and you accept both the good and bad.
12. You’re already jumping into the next step
You want babies, you want a ring on your finger, but you still haven’t met their parents or figured out how to pronounce their last name.
Yeah, you’re thinking eight steps ahead and not living in the moment. If it’s love, these moments come naturally, so, just chill.
13. The jealousy is strong
You see them talking to an old friend from school and you can’t handle it. They’re laughing and smiling while you feel the heat of rage building up in your body.
They like someone’s post on their Instagram feed, and you want to spend all afternoon trying to snoop about this person who may steal the “love of your life!”
Remember, love isn’t jealousy. You’re infatuated, you see them as your property. Jealousy is definitely one of the infatuation symptoms.
14. You’re terrified they’ll leave you
You think they’ll cheat on you or leave you for someone else. It’s this sudden paranoia that starts to develop inside your head.
Now, if you had trust issues in the past, this fear is completely understandable. But listen, if this is love, you shouldn’t be worrying. Love is confidence.
15. You feel like the luckiest person in the world
Winning the lottery? You don’t care! That’s not the luckiest thing that can happen to a person because you are convinced it’s meeting the object of your affection.
This person is the one who makes your world perfect. All the money in the world means nothing compared to how you feel for them.
16. You ignore their flaws
You know the saying, “I see the world through rose-colored glasses?” You’ve probably heard it, but you might not have really thought about what it truly means.
What it means is that you don’t see reality for what it really is. You only focus on the good stuff and ignore the bad. So, if you are ignoring red flags in this person, then that is definitely one of the infatuation symptoms.
17. You feel like you’re high on drugs
You have probably heard the terms “high on love” or “walking on cloud 9,” but you might not have really thought about where they came from. That’s what it feels like when you are infatuated – like you are on happy drugs.
In essence, you are. Your brain is producing a lot of “happy” chemicals that make you feel that way.
18. You ignore your friends more
When you are infatuated, and even obsessed with a person, you might tend to not pay as much attention to other people.
Your friends might ask you to hang out, but you don’t want to because you are hoping to hang out with your crush. Watch out for this, however, because you don’t want to push other people away just because you’re infatuated.
19. You’re not acting like yourself
Maybe you are usually a very logical, rational person. You give other people great advice, and your life is together.
But if you suddenly become emotional and irrational just because of another person, then that is a symptom of infatuation. But you don’t want to lose yourself in them. It’s not worth is, so be aware of this and keep yourself in check.
20. You have constant sexual thoughts
Because you are crushing on this person, you will probably have constant sexual thoughts about them. You might fantasize of having sex with them in very different scenarios. You will constantly daydream about what it’s like to make love to them.
21. You lost interest suddenly
Oh, and look at that, you no longer find their laugh sexy or charming when food falls onto their shirt.
If this was love, you’d be into all those quirky parts about them until you’re old and grey. But infatuation is a funny thing, it can leave as quickly as it comes.
Physical infatuation symptoms
Believe it or not, infatuation is not just a feeling. It can manifest in your physical body too.
22. Loss of appetite
One of the most common physical symptoms of infatuation is the loss of appetite. Because you are so excited, it makes you less hungry.
You’re constantly thinking about the object of your affection, so you don’t think about food nearly as much as you would normally.
23. Loss of sleep
Also, you might not be able to sleep. You are thinking about that person all the time, even when you are going to bed. Your mind is racing, and so your mind and body is in “full alert” mode. It is stimulated, and so it makes it very difficult to sleep.
24. Nervous 24/7
You could also have feelings of nervousness around your crush. Your voice might shake, or even your whole body. Your heartbeat is faster, and your palms might even sweat.
25. Happy all the time
Finally, as we mentioned above, the chemicals in your brain will make you feel extra happy – much more so than usual. And that symptom of infatuation is definitely a good one!
How long do these infatuation symptoms last?
What you might think what you are feeling is love, but it could just be a relationship based purely on infatuation. In the world today, everything moves fast. We all love immediate gratification, whether it’s on social media or in real life. And infatuation is no different.
Sadly, many relationships are short-lived because they are based on feelings that may not be real. They may feel real, but they might not be. And by “real” we mean long-lasting, true, and deep. Infatuation fades away eventually, but real love doesn’t.
The duration of infatuation varies quite a bit from person to person. It could be as short as a few days to several years. If the feelings aren’t reciprocal, then they tend to last longer.
But there is an average for how long infatuation lasts. The general consensus is that it can last from a month to about three years. The reason it fades away is that we eventually get to know the person better and their flaws reveal themselves.
When the “real” person emerges, then the infatuation tends to fade. That is because the infatuation was based on some false information about the person. Or at least unknown information about them. And once we realize this, our feelings can change.
Final thoughts
When it comes to recognizing the symptoms of infatuation, don’t blindly accept your feelings for a person. Because when we are infatuated, we are not thinking clearly.
Emotion trumps logic, and that gives us a warped perspective on reality. Also, be aware that this feeling will wear off in time!
So, now that you know what the infatuation symptoms are, try to see where you are on the spectrum. Whether it’s love or infatuation, the most important thing is you enjoy each moment.
