All products are independently selected by our editors.
If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Howdoyou know you love someone?
Design by Channing Smith
Well, it can be complicated.
Yeah, I would.
Am I ready for a vacation with my best friend?
But when it comes to love, things are rarely so clear.
During Greeces Mycenaean age, determining whether or not someone was falling in love required little decryption.
Then again, is it really that hard?
Love is a full-body experience.
Like an accidentally vegan snack food, true love can stop you in your tracks.
It can also be consciously welcomed in soft, rolling waves.
Find love from a responsible social distance.
But it doesnt need to be this way, for we can turn to relationship experts.
There are just so many things that can muddle our ability to decode the signs of love.
It comes with the joy of shared experiences as well as the worries and aches of separation.
In simple terms, its having a trusted partner who feels like home yet inspires adventure.
We become our best selves in their presence and enjoy seeing and bringing out their best selves in return.
Supporting each others individual goals and dreams becomes natural, as does consistently choosing to prioritize the relationship.
These indicators suggest a love beyond initial infatuation, reflecting a deeper, more enduring connection.
Below are expert-backed love signs that will help you answer the question How do you know you love someone?
Its love, baby!
When you love someone, it can make you more daring and open to new experiences.
Its a great time to be creative, saysClair Burley, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in the UK.
Forget your investigativepop culture podcastsandcrime docuseriesyour new lover is the latest subject of your deep dives.
Love can make you feel attuned to your partners needs.
When they feel sad, you feel sad.
When they feel happy, you feel happy.
You know you havent taken anythingso why does the world look and feel so different?
Emotionally, its akin to being on a natural high, says Marriott.
Youre filled with euphoria and an overwhelming sense of joy.
The person becomes a focal point of your emotional world.
You yearn for their presence and feel a deep protective concern for their well-being.
This emotional intensity often spills over, painting your entire life in more vibrant colors.
You might notice a shift in your appetite and sleep patterns and a general uplift in mood and well-being.
You just want to drink in all that they are about, says psychotherapist and sex therapistKat Kova.
Weve all had a friend who vanishes the minute they start a new romance.
This might even beyou.
This doesnt last forever.
Attachment systems eventually settle, meaning youll feel ready to retrieve other parts of your life again.
We asked three women who’ve experienced it and an expert what the deal is.
When a new relationship is going well, we might start asking ourselves, Are they the One?
So howdoyou know if youve met the One?
Its about being able to live harmoniously together and navigate different life stages and challenges.
They dont call it the honeymoon period for nothing.
When falling in love, we are turned on like a megawatt light bulb, says Daye.
Testosterone and dopamine create an arousal spike and lower inhibition.
This is why anyone who has spontaneous sex on a grand piano is probably in love a laPretty Woman.
Depending on your attachment style, new love might have you moving toward extremes.
There are individual differences in how we each fall in love, says Dr. Burley.
For some, sex feels better when theres a little love.
You might know you are in love when a sexual experience feels better or more fulfilling, Cooper says.
You wanna get physical?
Hear their body talk?
Thank the oxytocin for that spike in physical attraction.
Some theorists say its instinctive; some say its learned.
Either way, physical closeness causes a burst of the bonding hormone oxytocin into our system.
Named the love hormone, it feels good and helps us feel bonded.
Theres a reason Joe CockersUp Where We Belongstill absolutely slaps decades later.
Love has the transcendent power to lift us up where we belong, to set things straight.
When we fall in love, our sexual and emotional issues can go into storage, says Daye.
The future seems bright and full of potential.
Its normal to feel slightly hesitant when youre falling in love.
We can experience insecure and anxious feelings, says Dr. Burley.
If youre feeling overly anxious about your partner, it might be a sign to reassess the relationship.
“I just miss you, in a quite simple desperate human way.”
Whether your usual mode of distraction is kitchen-based dithering or aZillow stalk, nothing beats love.
This drives us to concentrate on the source of our pleasure: our date.
It explains that cant-eat, cant-sleep feeling of new romantic love.
Ask anyone, relationship expert or not, What are some of the common signs of love?
Chances are, theyll say, Butterflies.
And theyre not wrong!
All of this physiological activity can increase stress levels as well as impact sleep and appetite.
These sensations stem from a cocktail of hormones and neurotransmitters flooding your system and peaking your libido.
Theres a perfectly rational reasoning for this that goes way, way back.
And then the intense passion would subside.
Nearly blacked out when you saw your latest screen time stats?
This is our brain scanning for signs that our partner is available and responsive to our emotional needs.
When were falling in love, we feel invincible, omnipotent, and daring, says Daye.
We have copious amounts of energy and can feel impervious to stress.
Our rise to superhuman status is due to elevated levels of testosterone, dopamine, and epinephrine.
We can function on a deficit of food and sleep without feeling cranky.
Still, eat something.
Ever wandered the streets and spotted someone smiling to themselves as if theyre in on some kind of secret?
Chances are theyre either plotting a kind of interstellar diplomatic mission or theyre falling in love.
These physiological effects are due to raised dopamine levels.
Smiling can establish a feedback loop.
Falling in love can border on obsession.
We rehash conversations and fantasize about our lover morning, noon, and night.
These thoughts are intrusive and relentless, says Daye.
You and your beloved might not be the only ones feeling the love.
Oxytocin and the love drug phenylalanine make us more open and connected with others, says Daye.
We are patient, kind, and generous.
We give spare change to buskers, smile at strangers, and bear no grudges.
Spoiler alert: there’s a love gender gap.
We see our partner as flawless, possessing infinite charm, charisma, and smarts, says Daye.
In other words, we fall prey to what scientists call selective bias.
We overlook or find endearing the very qualities that would be deal breakers in different states of mind.
New love can engage your imagination.
You begin envisioning your future together and wanting to make further plans with them, explains Kova.
While self-improvement isnt contingent on romantic love, it can certainly help.
We want to decode their mysteries and unfold ours.
Love can make you feel like youre in a fairy tale.
If you could be vulnerable with the person youre spending time with, then its game over.
Long-lasting love is driven by the release of [the] hormones vasopressin and oxytocin.
When we feel an attachment to a partner, our bodies recognize a sense of security, Cooper explains.
Have you caught yourself wondering, How soon is it to say, I love you?
Maybe even before youve had thatwhat are we conversation?
If you are, its a good indication that, yup, youre falling in love.
Still, ask yourself a few questions before diving in.
There is no right time to say, I love you, says Vass.
How would you know if it went successfully or not?
How will you cope if it doesnt go successfully?
What are your expectations after you say it?
So take your time!
Think on it, sleep on it.
How do you know youre in love?
Our experience of love is subjective and can manifest in different ways, says Dr. Touroni.
You may feel a pull to do whats in their best interest.
Infatuation feels energetic, says psychotherapist Kim Garrett, LPC, LAC.
Youll get rest eventually: According to Garrett, this period lasts about 6 to 18 months.
Its just a necessary part of establishing a romantic relationship.
It just depends on where the road takes you.
But remember, infatuation alone does not equate to love or a long-term relationship.
Its the first step, Garrett says.
It feels greatbut remember, it might be a temporary phase.
Love evolves as time passes.
Trust and security naturally increase, deepening the emotional bond.
However, that safety and familiarity can dampen the idealization and energy of the in love feelings.
Mature is an active choice, a verb rather than just a feeling that happens to us.
In a healthy relationship, theyll do the same for you.
How do we know when our feelings are more than infatuation?
Well, we are still there and invested when the idealization of the first stage of knowing fades away.
Tailor your approach to the persons personality, she says.
Some may appreciate grand gestures, while others prefer subtlety.
Romance is about giving your person whattheyfind sexy and meaningful, not giving them what you would want.
Think about what their love language is.
For some, actions might speak louder than words.
So write a love letter, or do a thoughtful act that will show how much you care.
Try a combination of wordsandactions if you really want your beloved to feel special.
However you do it, just be your authentic self.
Slow down and take yourself seriously.
Also, remember, telling someone you love them doesnt have to define the relationship.
It is a feeling of connection, care, warmth and value.
Something to be enjoyed.
If you feel fear saying it, explore it.
What are you afraid of?
Pressure to take a step you arent ready for?
If this is the first time youre saying I love you, be prepared for every reaction.
Declaring love is risky!
Can you fall out of love?
Yes, the experts say.
Sometimes it happens with too much familiarity and not enough give and take, says Kelley.
Sometimes we change and what we want in our romantic relationships shifts as well.
Love is complex and wonderful and hard and can involve passion one day and hate another!
Its also possible to fallbackin love.
We start to live in our protected and defensive selves and that can become the norm.
We can mistake that defensive protection and cut off as a sign that the love has just died.
We can miss the deeper, more secure parts of love that are still there under the pain.
Over time, if left unattended, our love can just fade too far into the distance.
But, if we are open to working through the things that build up, it is powerful.
This is often where deeper love exists.
