Difference between Love and Infatuation
If one tries to define human feelings, one will find many ways to try to grasp their essence and express the truth in their own unique way. This is due to the subjective nature of grasping to define our indefinable emotions. Each person has a personal view, therefore the experience is unique.
Some feelings are the result of temporary desire, while others may have a more permanent character. These emotional states can be quite confusing. To distinguish between them, it is advisable to allow for the feeling to develop naturally. If the attachment proves to be strong enough, then it can be qualified as love. If not, it can still be considered a valuable experience and/or a sort of love which was not permanent. Let’s take a closer look.
Definition
People have found various ways through the ages to define love. Some of the recurrent features are enclosed in the following definition. Love is an emotional state of strong affection between two individuals. It involves caring for one another, physical attraction, a similar perception of the world, joint interests as well as an intense need for the other person’s attention.
Infatuation is an emotional state triggered by a temporary feeling of desire. An individual can be drawn by similar interests or physical attraction for another person.
Durability
According to many fairy stories, love is supposed to last forever. But in the real world that rarely happens. Love can last a lifetime or it may end sooner. There are different stages of love. The first years are usually the most intense for a couple in love. It is a time of discovery and sexual desire. Later on it becomes the love of a married couple. It can be just as intense for some couples, while others enjoy the peacefulness of a deeper relationship, meaning a higher degree of understanding and reciprocity.
Infatuation is short lived as most people lose interest in a person when they find another who commands their attention. The affair may end when one decides finally that a true affinity with the other is not there, goals in life don’t match or the other’s responses to the world do not harmonize with their own. The ending of the infatuation feeling may also be triggered either by immediate satisfaction or rejection.
Chemical Explanation
When a person is in love, the brain releases chemical substances like pheromones, dopamine and serotonin which lead to a state of excitement, loss of sleep and appetite and intense heart beat rate. Oxytocin and vasopressin are responsible for the feeling of attachment closely connected with love. Sexual desire is the result of testosterone and estrogen level increase.
Infatuation, which may be the first stage of love in some cases, is triggered by neural chemical substances such as dopamine, norepinephrine and phenylethylamine.
Similarities and Differences
- Love is an emotional state of strong affection between individuals. Infatuation is an emotional state of temporary desire.
- Love lasts more than infatuation and can undergo different stages.
- The feelings of love and infatuation are the results of neural chemical substances and perhaps a dash of karma.
