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According to a piece from Psychology Today, approximately 60% of folks believe in love at first sight. Shockingly, of those 60%, at least 50% of them say they have actually experienced it.
The article, from 2010, states that falling in love at first sight has to do with “a release of powerful neurotransmitter chemicals into the nervous system…that causes us physiological arousal.”
Now hold on just a minute.
If that’s the case, wouldn’t we be falling in love with people left and right if that were so? Why? Because if love has to do with that initial reaction to someone, which would definitely involve how attractive we find them, then we’re all in trouble. There are a lot of attractive people out there. And we meet new people every day.
Does a physiological response then mean we have encountered love at first sight?
We tend not to believe people when they say they “fell in love as soon as they met someone.” We tell them it cannot be possible. How can you know whether you’re in love with someone after only knowing him (or her) for five minutes?
Does this happen in real life? Can this be so?
I may sound like a non-believer, but I’m not. I wholeheartedly believe it happens. I know it happens. As a hopeless romantic, I believe that yes, you can fall in love with someone the moment you meet them, though it may be absolutely inexplicable. And maybe, if you’re lucky, the timing works out. Others may experience poor timing. It could be you’ve met the right person, but at the wrong moment.
But the notion of love at first sight—I believe in it. I write stories about relationships and what happens to people through their interactions, no matter how believable or unbelievable the situation may appear. There has to be something to this premise. Otherwise, why would the topic be one we still discuss?
“I knew the moment I met him we were destined to be together,” or “I knew when I met her I’d never felt that way about anyone before.” These are powerful words, for sure. But does the “love at first sight” relationship have the potential to last?
We see love at first sight couples in films and read about them in books all the time, but how substantial can that relationship be? Is it fleeting, or do we have the power to love that person for all eternity?
I’m certain I don’t have the answer.
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