How often we do not know how to distinguish between these two concepts — love and falling in love. Every time we consider a heart that beats more often as a sign of that great and only love forever, and every time we are mistaken. How to distinguish between infatuation and love?

Love and infatuation — what is the difference between them?

Cynics say that falling in love and love are the same feelings based on sexual attraction. That is, at first the couple communicates solely because of sex, and then addiction sets in, people are comfortable around, so they get married and live side by side for many years. And love does not play any role here, because it does not exist.

Romantics only shrug their shoulders in bewilderment at such statements, how can you deny the obvious? Both of these feelings are very real, and naturally there is a difference between love and falling in love. If it did not exist, then people could not find reasons to create families, everything would end in a couple of months, as soon as rose-colored glasses fall off and love evaporates.

What is the difference between love and infatuation?

1. There is such an expression as «love at first sight.» Whether this actually happens or not has been debated for centuries. But problems can be solved by replacing the word “love” with “falling in love” in the phrase. Because the main difference between love and falling in love is the time required for the onset of these feelings. Falling in love can come unexpectedly, as if by magic. But for the emergence of love takes time. When does love turn into love? When we get to know a person, when we understand and accept all his shortcomings. Can this happen in a matter of seconds?
2. How is falling in love different from love? In terms of emotions, these feelings are very similar, it is quite easy to confuse which one you experience. But to say after the end of the relationship that it was love or falling in love is not so difficult. Usually stormy romances end quickly, we forget about our feelings rather quickly — we fell in love from the first meeting, and fell out of love the same way. But love does not just give up its positions, having parted with the person we love, we will experience a gap for a very long time. In addition, falling in love allows you to be fascinated by several people at once, in the case of love, this cannot happen.
3. How to understand what we are experiencing — love or falling in love? Usually love is distinguished by its creative power. A loving person will not start a job, drop out of school, etc. Falling in love is akin to obsession, so lovers often make each other the center of the universe, not noticing anything around. And from such an attitude, business, friendship and family ties suffer.
4. Loving people can be jealous of each other, but after thinking carefully, they will understand that all fears and fears are in vain — how can you doubt the person you love? The difference between falling in love and love is that the jealousy generated by it does not disappear anywhere. Lovers can harass each other with constant interrogations or phone screening.
5. Lovers are completely oblivious to reality, because this feeling puts rose-colored glasses on them. Loving people, when making a decision, will surely correlate it with the real state of affairs. For example, a woman, falling in love with a married man, will definitely try to seduce him. If there was love here, then the lady would think 20 times whether it is worth ruining the happiness of her beloved for the sake of her feelings.
6. Lovers are usually selfish and if it seems to them that the partner does not pay enough attention to their desires, then a scandal cannot be avoided. Loving people do something nice for each other simply because they feel the need to do so. Simply put, love wants to receive something, and love wants to give.
7. Separation for lovers means the end of a relationship. For love, separation is not so terrible, loving people are able to survive it.

Summarizing all of the above, we can say that love is a more developed and mature feeling than falling in love, which means that over the years love will only get better, it is not afraid of time.