Love at First Sight:
Is it Real? Should People Trust It?
by www.Sedona.com “Love itself is what is left over
when being in love has burned away.”
-- British novelist Louis de Bernières Love at first sight. It’s the stuff of fairytales, of romantic movies and, of course, of a hefty sampling of romance novels. But does love at first sight really exist? If you ask some scientists, the answer is most certainly yes. A study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that people decide what type of relationship they want, and just how much effort they’re going to devote to it, after just a few minutes of talking to someone. In the study, college students had a conversation with someone that lasted between three and 10 minutes, then filled out a questionnaire to predict how they saw the future relationship developing. After nine weeks, those who rated the potential relationship positively had developed closer relationships. Although the study looked at same-sex friendships, the researchers believe the findings could be extended to dating. "It's almost a self-fulfilling prophecy,” said study co-author Artemio Ramirez of Ohio State University. “We make a prediction about what kind of relationship we could have with a person and that helps determine how much effort we are willing to put into developing a relationship.” It turns out that people make fairly quick decisions about how much they like a person, then naturally put more dedication to expanding the relationships with those they felt an immediate connection to. Is it Love or Lust? Of course, those who have fallen hard in “love at first sight” may have later been let down when they realized it wasn’t really love that was fanning the fire, but lust. “Love at first sight is often just lust at first site,” says Hale Dwoskin, CEO and director of training of Sedona Training Associates. How can you tell if your newfound love is going to withstand the test of time (or, if you’ve already found your long-time love, what advice can you give to the youngsters in your life)? By letting go of it using the time-tested and scientifically proven Sedona Method. “The way to check if it is lust or love is to let go of the feeling,” Dwoskin says. “If it is love the feeling will get stronger and more expanded yet quieter. If it is simply lust, when you let go you may start to actually feel the love.” “Either way,” Dwoskin continues, “allow yourself to enjoy the ride and follow your heart.”
Sources
BBC News
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