Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Infatuation

Infatuation is a love experience that is based on a sudden, intense attraction. These feelings are very real and very powerful. This is the kind of love that disappears in time. Infatuation can be pleasant or painful, depending on the attitude of the second person involved. Infatuated partners often make the mistake of playing up the good qualities and ignoring the bad. They also focus on unimpotant features, such as big brown eyes or cute dimples.

You've probably heard it said that "love is blind". Actually, infatuation is blind. While infatuated, people are often in love with a dream they each hope the other will prove to be. Infatuation fades, along with the shine on the halo, as they begin to focus on shortcomings, such as insensitivity, selfishness, or a bad temper. When the gap between the dream and the real person becomes too wide, love is gone, and the relationship becomes merely a habit or a burden to unload.

Infatuation experiences may reach an even quicker end when couples face separation. The "absense makes the heart grow fonder" maxim yields to "out of sight, out of mind". Infatuation is not strong or deep enough when distance divides.

Next: Mature Love