Men vs Women: Who Falls In Love Faster?

The way you interact with potential partners is proportional to social expectations, perceived gender dynamics, and personal standards. Because of the subjective nature of love and its sophistication, it’s difficult to define and gauge the science behind it.

When you fall in love, your body goes through a series of responses — blushed cheeks, racing heart, sweaty palms, and even stuttering. Love summons different feel-good chemicals such as oxytocin, dopamine, vasopressin, and adrenaline which affect your behavior.

Although these natural chemical processes occur in the brain, there may be slight differences depending on the gender of the person who’s falling in love. And if gender is merely a social construct to you, science says gender dictates romantic behaviors. In a way, not everyone will share the predicted outcomes when their heart beats for someone.

So what do you need to know?

Men tend to say I love you first.

Women are believed to be more romantic compared to men. However, studies have found that men are quicker to express their feelings, and this may be because of the cautious view of love women have adapted over time.

From the researchers’ hypothesis, men have less to lose in being direct, thus they are more profound in expressing interest and devotion. There may not be a lot of scientific explanation to back this up, but there seems to be a social agreement to this fact.

Women say I love you more often.

Unless a couple is exclusively dating and officially together, women are more likely to say these three words more often than their male counterparts.

It’s important to note that research hints that these words are more symbolic and meaningful to women than men, and to them, saying I love you is a romantic and affectionate act they give regard to.

Men tend to be more lustful.

One brutal truth, coming up.

Dating expert James Preece stated that the notable preference of men over a woman’s physical appearance may also mean that they are likely to “fall in lust”. Further, research shows that most men focus on the physical attributes of someone in front of them rather than measuring compatibility and chemistry.

Women are less on the visual aspects of love.

Women are the exact opposite of what was previously stated.

They don’t easily fall in love with a potential partner. But when they do, the person’s personality is what mainly stole their heart, at least most of the time, because they don’t focus too much on someone’s physical features. Then again, biology plays a huge role in this. According to a journal published in 2009, the Archives of Sexual Behavior, men tend to be more visual than women.

This also explains why women take a longer time to get used to and be comfortable with a new love interest than men.

Men are likely to assume that their love is unreciprocated.

Many do not know this, but men have an over-perception of the sexual interests of women, and they often overestimate the attraction their significant others feel for them.

At the same time, because men are more than willing to fall in love during the early stages of a relationship or even as early as the courtship stage, they think that they are no longer loved by their partners as much as they were when the relationship matures and progresses.

Women find it easier to focus on one person.

One of the best things about women is how they can give so much of their heart to a man they truly care for.

A study found that teenage boys have more crushes than girls and are likely to have more by each passing time. By contrast, ladies, once in love, tend to focus on fewer guys in general.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that men fall in love with anyone they meet on the street, and women are too devoted to men who aren’t even theirs. Conclusively, it differs from one individual to another.

Both genders look for the ideal qualities there are in a long-time partner.

Many believe that men and women are totally different in love, but at the end of the day, everyone is looking for the same thing: the right person, the right love, and the right relationship.

In actuality, a study found that both genders have similar preferences in what they want to find in a long-term partner. It goes without saying that in love, everyone is pretty much the same.

How Long Does It Take to Fall In Love?

According to Reader’s Digest, it is the men who fall in love faster than women and even have a 48% likelihood of falling in love at first sight. They only need a span of at least 88 days to verbally express their feelings, whereas women hold back until the 132nd day.

Because men are more visual than women, they have higher chances of remarrying after going through a divorce or becoming a widower. This is proven by a study conducted by the Pew Research Center that stated 64% of men remarried, while only 52% of women remarried.

At this point, it’s safe to assume that men fall in love faster than women. Between the two, women are more thoughtful about love and are deep thinkers about matters of the heart.

The way a woman processes love may be partly responsible for this. When a woman falls for someone, her body produces phenylethylamine and norepinephrine, which makes and helps her stay focused on the man she likes.

More importantly, women develop more trust and fondness towards their significant others after sleeping together. Just like the three words, physical intimacy is a great deal for ladies, especially those who are in a serious relationship.

What a Matchmaker Has to Say

Hearing different love stories of how people met their partners has always been a fascinating experience. You see, love at first sight doesn't only happen in movies, but it also happens in real life more often than you could imagine.

Rather than dwelling on how long it should take your partner to fall for you or how long you should tell them how you truly feel, be direct about everything.

Know where you stand in the relationship and what you mean to the other person. After all, the game of love has no rules.