There is a definite shift that happens when a relationship goes from infatuation to attachment. Even if you're only aware of it after the fact, it's still taking place and can't be stopped. Here, we walk you through the stages of your brain goes through, from infatuation to attachment.
Curiosity. As the infatuation fades a bit, you start investigating your partner and who they really are as a person. This is when the mask comes off and you're figuring out the other person's true self and whether or not you can work as a couple.
Infatuation can be the first stage of love, but not everyone experiences infatuation. You can meet someone wonderful without that love-at-first-sight rush.
An infatuation lasts anywhere between six months to three years. It could turn into a more serious relationship if it lasts beyond that. But people do realize even after a year that they are infatuated and it is not love. It can last longer if it's a long-distance relationship.
Stage 1: The euphoric stage - 6 months to 24 months (2 years) Stage 2: The early attachment stage - 12 months (1 year) to 60 months (5 years) Stage 3: The crisis stage - 60 months (5 years) to 84 months (7 years) Stage 4: The deep attachment stage - 84 months (7 years) and beyond.
Stage 7: Crisis and Recovery in a Relationship
And that's the crisis and recovery stage. That can be any time when there's a big transition, any time there's trauma within the relationship. It can be a trauma outside of the relationship. You need to navigate it or repair it.
Stage 6: Empathy, Love & Begining of Forever
It's the blissful stage, and finally, your souls sync. It's the stage where couples decide to take it ahead and empathise with each other along the way.
Infatuation is romance and sex rolled into one colossal high. Authentic love takes that one step further to attachment; wanting to stay together. Infatuation is about idealizing romantic love. Real love accepts the good, bad, and ugly.
Love and infatuation are both accompanied by intense feelings, attraction, and emotions. However, there are many differences between the two, including love is more than physical, and infatuation is only physical. Love is deep, and infatuation is shallow. Love is secure, and infatuation is insecure.
These five stages are attraction, reality, commitment, intimacy and finally, engagement. It may seem pretty obvious, but relationships – whether romantic or platonic – grow with time and undergo distinct changes as bonds are formed and intimacy is developed.
Infatuation usually doesn't last long, and when it ends, it is sometimes a messy ordeal. Usually, an infatuated couple will have moved too fast too soon and abruptly finds out that they are not the perfect match they thought they were.
A healthy dose of infatuation is a normal start to any relationship.
A guy who has some strong feelings for you wants to know every single thing about you. From surface level things like your favorite color and food, to more personal things like your happiest memory or your dreams for the future. He probably wants to ask you all kinds of questions, so have your answers ready.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary definitions of love and infatuation are pretty distinct: love is "a warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion to another person," while infatuation is "a feeling of foolish or obsessively strong love for, admiration for, or interest in someone or something." Basically, love is a deep, ...
Agape — Selfless Love. Agape is the highest level of love to offer. It's given without any expectations of receiving anything in return.
Eros is intense and sexual and —you guessed it— fleeting. A relationship built on Eros should also rely on other forms of love to create a firm, whole foundation (more on that later). Nonetheless, Eros still represents the love for sexual intimacy and romance.
You Have a Chemical Reaction
In your brain the dopamine center is rewarded when you see or think about your love interest. Then your brain gets flooded with dopamine. This pleasure response feels so good that it's easy to mistake infatuation with a real connection.
You start to see your partner for who they really are, and not just who you thought they were. If you're able to navigate these changes, you will hopefully be able to experience real, true intimacy, which is not possible during infatuation.
“Rebound relationships typically last between one month and a year, and commonly struggle to last past the initial infatuation period. They are often not based on deep compatibility, so differences can start to strain the connection,” says Stein.
Empty love: Sometimes, a stronger love deteriorates into empty love, in which the commitment remains, but the intimacy and passion have died. In cultures in which arranged marriages are common, relationships often begin as empty love.
Called the “rubber band” or the male intimacy cycle, it's when a man vacillates between being close to his partner and pulling away. Men do this for many reasons. The most important reason is to connect with their more masculine side and to focus on the activities that make them a good provider and partner.
The hardest months in a relationship usually arrive after the departure of the first relationship phase, the Honeymoon phase. This is the phase where everything seems perfect, your partner seems like a person you can spend the rest of your life with, and there are plenty of hormones and love flowing around everywhere.
In the most basic sense, a serious relationship is one in which you're completely committed to your partner; you're totally open and honest with one another; you trust each other deeply; and you're on the same page, not only in terms of your values and ethics but about your future together as well.