Falling in love is different for everyone. Some people experience love at first sight while the love story for others may take a little more time to develop. Even in those times that you are close to knowing for sure that you love someone, attempting to convince yourself differently is a common practice. And while it may be scary to come to terms with being in love, knowing the truth about it can change your entire life.
Though differentiating between knowing if you're in love or just experiencing a lustful infatuation can be hard to do sometimes, there's always a few telltale signs to figure it out. Here's how you'll know you're in love, even when you think you aren't, according to a few experts.
You feel excitement or joy whenever you're around them.
Though you may think that all of your relationships or friendships bring you the same type of excitement, Gayle Johns-Carter, professional life coach and founder of Coaching Your Life's Goals, told INSIDER that being in love gives you a different type of feeling.
"Feeling happy, smiling more, imagining them, or even smelling their perfume or cologne when they're not around can all make you feel good about your partner," she said. "These are all the things that tend to give you joy, excitement, and a desire for that special person. If you experience these feelings, then he or she is the one you want to love forever. I would say he or she is a keeper."
Your heart rate increases.
If you're still trying to deny your love for the person you're dating, Dr. Don Vaughn, neuroscientist with the Department of Psychology at UCLA, told INSIDER that an increased heart rate is one way that you'll know it's real.
"Research has found that when you look at someone you love passionately, you experience more complex brain patterns and a higher heart rate," he said. "Greater skin conductance and increased zygomatic muscle activity (aka smiling) will also be higher than when you look at someone you love or admire as a friend or family member."
You feel secure and protected around them.
Though feeling secure should be a given way to know that you're with the right person, not every relationship will reflect that. According to Johns-Carter, however, if you strongly feel this for someone, you're definitely in love.
"When you hear that small voice inside of you saying, "it's okay to let your guard down" and you listen, you're in love," Johns-Carter said. "You trust and believe that without a doubt, the person has your best interest at heart, and wouldn't want to see you hurt in any way."
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