Upon reaching a certain age, most people have had a romantic relationship, been attracted to someone else, or had a serious crush. But falling in love is another matter. So how do you know the difference between that deep, intense connection and something a bit less profound? This quiz will help you discover if you have ever been in love or if what you’ve experienced was simply infatuation.
- Have you ever planned a future with someone? When you are in love, it’s natural to start thinking about the future. You’ll easily be able to picture that person sticking around for the long term. You’ll imagine your lives together and fantasize about what kind of future you’ll share. This is one of the biggest signs that you are in love.
- Have you ever had a feeling that someone was special? According to Live Science, one of the proven effects that being in love has on the body is the gut feeling that the person you’re with is special. Do you just feel like you’ve found the one? When you are in love, there’s this sense that things are going to be okay and you’ve found the right person. Of course, love doesn’t always last forever and that sense can be off. But it’s one of the signs to watch out for.
- Have you ever experienced emotional stability when you feel strongly about someone? Beyoncé’s hit song Crazy in Love is more accurate than you might think. Studies have shown that being in love causes people to experience emotional instability. You might feel like you’ve lost control of your emotions, even if you’re normally a rational person. Love feels overwhelming, so the emotions are typically difficult to keep up with and conceal.
- Have you ever only focused on the positive side of someone? When we fall in love, we tend to ignore the other person’s bad points. Nobody is perfect. But when you love someone, it can sure seem like they are. Even if you acknowledge their flaws, you’ll naturally focus more on their positive aspects. That’s why they say that if you’re noticing lots of flaws in someone and they’re turning you off, that person isn’t right for you. It’s not that they have too many flaws—it’s just that you don’t like them enough for those flaws not to matter.
- Have you ever wanted to share your world with someone? Falling in love with someone often comes with the desire to share absolutely everything with them. If you’ve ever been in love, you’ll know the feeling. Whenever something good happens, you want to tell them about it. You have an unexplainable desire to introduce them to your favorite people. And they are the first person you call when you need to vent.
- Have you ever felt possessive of someone? While you don’t want too much possessiveness in a relationship, research shows that a little bit of this trait can indicate feelings of love. When we are in love with someone, we also naturally desire to have them all to ourselves. This can lead to unwarranted jealousy or possessiveness.
- Have your friends ever noticed you falling in love? If your friends have ever commented on you falling in love, chances are they’re right. Friends (and family) tend to notice things that we can’t see in ourselves. If more than one or two people make the comment, they could be on to something.
- Have you ever been unable to get someone off your mind? Love is a consuming thing. When you fall in love with someone, it feels difficult to think about anything else. No matter how much you try to distract yourself, you end up thinking of them again. This can also indicate infatuation. But when paired with the other signs on this list, it may mean you’ve fallen in love.
- Have you ever adopted your partner’s traits? People in love tend to mimic each other without realizing it. According to Oprah Daily, this is another clue that you have fallen in love before. You’ll unintentionally adopt your partner’s traits, including the way they speak. You might also develop an interest in the things they like.
- Have you ever felt like you could feel what someone else was going through? Empathy is another symptom of love. When in love with someone, you can empathize with their experience. You understand what they’re going through and where they’re coming from.
- Have you ever wanted to know whether someone else loved you? One of the most obvious signs of love is wanting to know how the other person feels. A person in love often can’t wait to find out if the other person loves them back. If you have had butterflies in your stomach waiting for the answer, it suggests that you may have been in love before.
Hopefully this quiz helped you figure out if you have ever been in love or not. While you would think it would be obvious, sometimes intense emotions in relationships can masquerade as something they’re not and it takes really digging deep to discover where you truly stand. If you need a bit more help, it could be useful to distinguish infatuation as its own unique experience.
Signs you’re infatuated with someone rather than being in love with them
- You’re jealous and possessive of everyone in their life. While some level of jealousy may be present when you’re in love with someone, what distinguishes infatuation is that this feeling seems to be so intense that you can’t turn it off. From the cashier at the grocery store to the person on the treadmill next to them at the gym, you’re literally seething with jealousy all the time. It’s a serious problem and really not healthy.
- You can’t think of anything else but them. It makes sense that the person you like would occupy your thoughts a lot when you first get to know them, but if you can’t focus on the rest of your life or think of anything but them, you’re infatuated rather than in love – and you don’t really need a quiz to know that.
- You build them up in your head to be some kind of god/goddess. You can’t truly love someone if you don’t know them for who they are. If you put them on a pedestal and believe that they’re some kind of perfect being incapable of doing anything wrong, you’re definitely not in love with them. That would require seeing, accepting, and even embracing their flaws.
- Things are moving at the speed of light. When you have a connection with someone, it’s tempting to dive right in. However, infatuation leads to moving way too fast, which can be a really bad thing for your relationship, leading it to crash and burn well before its time. Take your time getting to know them and let things progress slowly. If you’re meant to be together, what’s the rush?
- Lust is the overriding emotion you feel for them. When you’re in love with someone, the strongest feeling you’ll have for them is affection and care. If all you can think of when you look at them is ripping off their clothes and going at it, you’re infatuated, end of story.