Do You Believe In Love At First Sight?

Well, it has certainly worked for me on a couple of occasions.

The second was when I set eyes on my ex-husband at an event and knew that the attraction was mutual immediately I saw him with his friend and spoke to him. We lasted nearly 30 years and were still in love by the finish, except that we had diverged so much in our values and expectations, we could not sustain the relationship on love alone because too much resentment and anger had crept in.

before my marriage, I knew I had fallen in love instantly with someone when our eyes met across a room, seeing him for the first time. It was amazing because it was so unexpected with him not being the type I would have expected to even be friendly with. But circumstances just weren’t right at the time to follow through. Thirty-five years later he proposed, but I was a different person by then and wanted something new with my life.

The concept of love at first sight is a popular one in movies and literature. It is often portrayed as a "magical moment when two people meet and instantly feel a connection". However, there is no scientific evidence to support the existence of love at first sight. Some psychologists believe that it is simply a case of strong physical attraction, while others believe that it is a more complex phenomenon that involves factors such as pheromones and shared values.

However, despite the absence of science, some studies have found that a significant number of people believe in love at first sight. For example, a 2017 survey by YouGov found that "72% of men and 61% of women" believe in falling in love instantly. A 2004 study by the University of California, Berkeley also found that about a third of Americans claimed to have personally experienced it.

On the basis of these studies, it seems that love at first sight is a real phenomenon experienced by a significant number of people, but there seem to be certain factors that govern it. For example, another study by the University of Groningen found that people are more likely to believe in love at first sight if they are "young, attractive, and have a positive outlook on life". Another study found that people who believe in love at first sight are more likely to be impulsive and have a history of short-term relationships.

Whether or not love at first sight is real, it is a powerful emotion that can have a profound impact on people's lives. Yet falling in love is really down to our beliefs. If we believe that anyone can engage us in an instant, because we are expressive enough to allow it to happen, it will always happen for us. If we are the cynical type who questions every potential relationship and are worried about its outcome, it won’t get a chance to flourish because we will kill it with our negative expectations.

In other words, people who don’t believe in falling in love at first sight are seldom likely to experience it for that very reason: they cannot have something positive materialising out of their negative beliefs, and fear of its consequences will keep such an experience from happening. Even if it got up and smacked them in the face, they would always attribute it to something else.

Ultimately, believing in love at first sight, or not, is a personal decision. There is no right or wrong answer. If you have experienced instant love, you would know that it is a powerful and real emotion. However, it is important to remember that love at first sight is not always the foundation for a lasting relationship. It takes time, effort, and commitment to build a strong and loving partnership.

Love at first sight is magical when it works because, with its element of surprise, it carries with it the potential for something truly exciting and enjoyable.

But what do YOU think? Do you believe in love at first sight, and have you ever experienced it?

• Sources: How long does it take to fall in love?
• Reasons why people fall in love at first sight

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