Love vs Infatuation: Similarities and Differences

Love and infatuation are often used interchangeably without us knowing.

Pop culture clichés like “love at first sight” and “when you know, you know” may seem incredibly beautiful.

Still, in actuality, they combine two quite different emotions that are frequently confused: love and infatuation.

Both love and infatuation are strong feelings one has for another person.

Many people frequently mix these emotions with one another.

However, the nature, depth, and conclusion of the two emotions are different.

Being entirely engulfed by unrestrained passion or love, or addicted love, is the state of infatuation.

When sexual desire is at the forefront of a relationship, infatuation typically happens at the beginning.

Love is the great affection one has for another person. It is most frequently described as a two-person emotion.

What Is Infatuation?

Strong feelings of attraction, intrigue, and obsession toward someone are known as infatuation.

This is often the case even when you don’t know them all that well.

According to psychologist Lauren Fogel Mercy, infatuation is more frequently focused on physical attraction and imagined fantasy of who the other person is, even if it frequently feels quite intense.

According to Fogel, infatuation is described as having a strong attraction to someone you don’t know very well.

Rejecting information that contradicts the fantasy can also mean dismissing warning indications or early compatibility indicators.

Someone who is infatuated thinks about that individual all the time.

After meeting someone, the emotion often develops extremely rapidly, and the infatuated individual may feel as though they have already met “the one.”

Read: The Science of Love: Exploring the Chemistry Behind Strong Connections

Is Infatuation Real or Fake?

Although infatuation in and of itself is unreal, it has the potential to develop into true love.

There is a strong physical attraction at the beginning of every relationship.

What follows afterwards is what distinguishes infatuation from true love.

As we’ve already discussed, love lasts a lifetime, although infatuation is usually only fleeting.

Nevertheless, to some extent, you must remain infatuated with your spouse over the long term.

When you’re in love, you still want physical attraction and a strong emotional connection, but you want it to be fleeting or shallow.

You want your shared physical attraction—note the emphasis on shared—to support you through good times and bad.

A stable, long-lasting relationship cannot be sustained on infatuation alone.

However, if you have a healthy amount of infatuation, your relationship will be secure, loving, and healthy while in love.

Read: Tips to Overcome Insecurities in Your Relationship

Differences Between Love And Infatuation

One is gradual, but the other happens suddenly

As previously stated, love takes time to develop.

As you take your time to understand your feelings, some distinctive characteristics, like hope and trust, begin to emerge.

Additionally, your partner’s appearance, personality, or traits may occasionally differ, but you will eventually find a way to understand them without lowering your expectations.

On the other hand, infatuation comes on quickly, and the entire chemistry is focused on the present.

If you don’t hear back from them right away or catch a glimpse of them with someone of the opposing gender, this can cause worry and jealousy.

Read: Simple Gestures That Make Your Partner Feel Appreciated and Respected

Love is deep, infatuation is superficial

When you are in love with someone, I don’t think you need any more lectures on this.

It simply gets more difficult to break, which is a clear indicator.

There will undoubtedly be times when you need to sort out your disagreements.

But because of the close link you share, you will be prepared to do so.

In a nutshell, true love is unlike an electrical outlet in that it cannot be turned off.

The sentiments and emotions might abruptly stop during infatuation, like flicking a switch.

It can be because of the things they did or said that instantly destroyed your vibe.

Additionally, you wouldn’t want to resolve the issue with the other party.

And when that occurs, you don’t need a fortune teller to tell you that you’re feeling infatuation.

Read: When to Break Up: Signs That It’s Time to End a Relationship and Move On

One grows stronger with time but the other is ephemeral

Because people evolve, love may not necessarily need to last forever before you can determine if it is true or not.

But if you’re willing to mature as a couple over time, you’ll see that love is becoming more and more common.

Allow me to warn you that infatuation is just for a short period of time, even if it may first knock you off your feet and seem to endure forever.

Because you were merely drawn to the individual, the emotion gradually fades over time.

As soon as the attraction wanes, so do the feelings, and before you know it, the feeling is gone.

One is mainly physical, the other is more than that.

We often struggle to articulate the reasons behind our love for a certain person.

Physical appearance may play some role in love, but it need not be the primary driver of the emotion.

The relationship between the two people may have been sparked by their emotional affinity, which could be the cause of the feeling.

Realistically, infatuation begins with physical interaction and attraction and may end there because the urge may wane whenever your lover adopts a new appearance or behaves differently.

Love grows with distance but Infatuation fades out with it

True love has no boundaries, and in fact, distance only strengthens the bond between two people. whereas infatuation diminishes over time.

Because the feeling is not coming from your heart, but rather your head, and since you cannot see the person you are infatuated with, you start to forget them, being apart from them might weaken and kill that feeling.

The Bottom Line

Infatuation can be a common occurrence early on in a new relationship or when getting to know someone.

Because it feels so intense, many individuals mistake infatuation for love (just like they do love and lust).

In healthy quantities, infatuation can also be a part of the process of falling in love, so it’s not always a terrible thing.

You’re off to a good start if infatuation becomes bidirectional and both parties feel secure.

Just remember to take your time, engage in getting to know the person you’re with, flaws and all, and perhaps wait until the rose-coloured glasses come off before making any significant decisions.

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