A white circle with a black border surrounding a chevron pointing up. It indicates 'click here to go back to the top of the page.' Show At the beginning stages of love, you may feel knots in your stomach or lose your appetite. Estudio13G/Getty Images If you've asked your friends how to know if you love someone, it's likely that they said something along the lines of "You'll just know," or "When you know, you know." For some people, it really is that easy. But not everyone experiences love the same way. And for others, more practical advice might be needed to help you identify your feelings. If you're looking for some concrete indications, here are nine signs that you might love someone romantically. If you love someone, it's likely that you think about them quite a bit, to the point where they might be the only thing on your mind before you go to sleep and the first thing you think of upon waking, says David Khalili, MA, LMFT, couples therapist in private practice. Thinking about them is pleasant and makes you feel good because being in love — especially in the early throws of it — activates reward centers in the brain responsible for releasing dopamine, a compound responsible for pleasure. In fact, some experts refer to love as being a "natural addiction." When you love someone, it's only natural that you feel an urge to take care of them, comfort them, and protect them – and you want them to do the same for you. "You are expressing your love for them by providing them with the types of comfort you know or can reasonably expect that they'll appreciate," says Khalili. Being in love comes with the opportunity for both you and your partner to grow. Your partner may push you to be the best version of yourself, and you may learn that you're more capable of self-reflection and adjustment when you love someone, says Krista Miller, LMFT, couples therapist at Align Couples Therapy. Even challenges that you face together can help you grow and feel closer to one another. When you love someone, you'll want to show it often to continue to cultivate a loving relationship and let your partner know you care about them. Depending on you and your partner's love languages, you might have unique ways of showing your affection for your partner, whether that's through physical touch, acts of service, quality time, gifts, or words of affirmation. A nice bonus is that intimacy is healthy for you. "High levels of intimacy correlate negatively with depression and positively with immune function and cardiovascular health," researchers reported in a 2016 review. When you have a healthy sense of self-love, self-esteem, and self-compassion, you are probably in a place where you aren't seeking out someone to "complete" you. Rather, you need someone who complements you. You'll know that you love someone because you genuinely enjoy spending time with them and caring for them, which is different from liking someone simply because they make you feel better about yourself, says Miller. Since this may also be a sign of lust, make sure you're experiencing this along with all the other signs of being in love so you know it's more than just sexual attraction. "You're craving their touch, smell, taste, or whatever you can get," says Khalili. You want to feel bonded and attached to the person you love, and this is one way to do that. Researchers suggest that love, as a whole, originated from the fundamental, physical urge to procreate. But humans have managed to distinguish between lust and love, which is clear from studies that indicate each affects very different areas of the brain. There is some truth to the term "lovesick." Khalili says you might feel physical symptoms such as knots in your stomach or a loss of appetite. A 2016 paper found that experiencing such symptoms may be due to higher levels of the stress hormone norepinephrine being released in early stages of love. These feelings may be especially prominent in the earlier stages of falling in love. You might start picturing future dates, adventures, trips, a marriage, or starting a family with the person you love, Khalili says. It might be hard to picture a life without them in the future. "Whatever it might entail, it's showing that you're excited about this person and you feel safe enough to include them into your future," says Khalili. Relationships aren't easy – they take active work from both partners in order to thrive. Miller says one way to know you love someone is if you are absolutely willing to put in the work over a prolonged period of time. More importantly, each person in the relationship feels grateful to have the opportunity to put in the work. And this goes back to the idea that love, from a strictly biological viewpoint, is based around reward centers of the brain responsible for feel-good compounds like dopamine and oxytocin. Be on the lookout for signs like an urge to take care of your partner, motivation to show affection, and willingness to put in work when you're trying to figure out whether you love someone romantically or not. Everyone experiences love differently, but these signs are good indicators that you're on that path with your partner. While falling in love can be absolutely amazing, be sure to stay vigilant and be aware of any red flags to make sure your relationship is healthy.
Co-authored by Tara Vossenkemper, PhD, LPC Last Updated: August 29, 2022 References Approved Download Article
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This article was co-authored by Tara Vossenkemper, PhD, LPC. Dr. Tara Vossenkemper is a Licensed Professional Counselor and the Founder and Managing Director of The Counseling Hub, LLC, a group counseling practice located in Columbia, Missouri. She is also the Founder of and a Business Consultant with Tara Vossenkemper Consulting, LLC, a consulting service for therapy practice owners. With over nine years of experience, she specializes in using the Gottman Method of relationship therapy with couples on the brink of divorce, who have conflict, or who feel disconnected from one another. Dr. Vossenkemper holds a BA in Psychology from The University of Missouri, Saint Louis, an MA in Counseling from Missouri Baptist University, and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from The University of Missouri, Saint Louis. She has also completed Level 3 training in the Gottman Method Couples Therapy approach and has been formally trained in both the Prepare-Enrich Premarital Couples Counseling approach and the PREP Approach for couples counseling.
There are many different kinds of love[1] X Research source Go to source and there's no single way to know whether you're really feeling it — or just in the throes of a serious infatuation. Still, if you pay attention to how you feel and act around your special someone, you should be able to figure out whether you're really in love. If you want to know how to do it, just follow these steps. Steps
Part 1 Part 1 of 3:Noticing What You Think
Part 2 Part 2 of 3:Noticing What You Do
Part 3 Part 3 of 3:Noticing What You Say
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About This Article
Tara Vossenkemper, PhD, LPC Licensed Professional Counselor This article was co-authored by Tara Vossenkemper, PhD, LPC. Dr. Tara Vossenkemper is a Licensed Professional Counselor and the Founder and Managing Director of The Counseling Hub, LLC, a group counseling practice located in Columbia, Missouri. She is also the Founder of and a Business Consultant with Tara Vossenkemper Consulting, LLC, a consulting service for therapy practice owners. With over nine years of experience, she specializes in using the Gottman Method of relationship therapy with couples on the brink of divorce, who have conflict, or who feel disconnected from one another. Dr. Vossenkemper holds a BA in Psychology from The University of Missouri, Saint Louis, an MA in Counseling from Missouri Baptist University, and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from The University of Missouri, Saint Louis. She has also completed Level 3 training in the Gottman Method Couples Therapy approach and has been formally trained in both the Prepare-Enrich Premarital Couples Counseling approach and the PREP Approach for couples counseling. This article has been viewed 3,476,315 times.
Co-authors: 220 Updated: August 29, 2022 Views:3,476,315 Article Rating:81% - 15 votes Categories: Featured Articles | Falling in Love Article SummaryX To tell if you’re really in love with someone, pay attention to the way you think about them. If you find yourself thinking about the other person all the time, or if you can’t imagine your future without them, then there’s a good chance you’re in love with them. Consider how you feel about their opinions, too. Do you really value what they think and what they have to say? If you have to make a big decision, do you ask them for their input? If so, then you probably love and care about them. It’s also a good sign if you notice the other person’s flaws, but you accept them for who they are anyway. Check your own behavior as well. When you’re in love with someone, you’ll want to be the best version of yourself around them. Pay attention to whether you enjoy helping them and spending time with them—even when you’re not doing anything that exciting together. You might also find that you’re more willing to step outside of your comfort zone or make compromises for someone you love. Also, you’ll feel more comfortable opening up to them and truly being yourself. Being in love isn’t always easy, so pay attention to how you feel and behave in good times as well as bad. If you’re able to make it through rough patches together and still come out feeling good about your relationship, then there’s a good chance you’re in love. For more advice from our Relationships co-author, including how to see if you’re okay with your significant other’s flaws, keep reading. In other languages
Italiano:Sapere se sei Innamorato Português:Saber Se Você Está Apaixonado(a) Deutsch:Verliebt sein Español:saber si estás enamorado(a) Français:savoir si l'on est amoureux(se) Nederlands:Weten of je verliefd bent Русский:понять, что вы влюбились 中文:知道自己是否爱上了某人 Čeština:Jak poznat, jestli jste skutečně zamilovaní 日本語:恋に落ちたか判断する Bahasa Indonesia:Mengetahui Apa Kamu Sedang Jatuh Cinta ไทย:ดูว่าคุณกำลังมีความรักหรือไม่ Tiếng Việt:Biết liệu Mình có đang Yêu हिन्दी:पता करें कि आप प्यार (Pyar) में हैं العربية:إدراك أنك واقع في الحب 한국어:사랑에 빠졌는지 알아보는 방법
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