Courtesy of Better Help
Falling in love is an amazing experience for some and difficult experience for others. What further complicates it, however, is when you’re unable to tell whether or not it is love or sexual attraction. For those of you who may get confused between the two when you first meet someone, here is an article that will help you recognize the difference between lust and love.
What Is Love?
Love is an unwavering affection that you have towards another person. It goes beyond basic attraction, and it builds a connection that involves caring for one another, wanting to be around each other constantly, and trying to do the best you can to make sure that your significant other is happy. Love extends beyond the self and enables you to care for someone else.
Important Characteristics Of Love
To be considered love, there are some characteristics that your love for another person has to meet. Here are a few that you should recognize in your relationship:
- Undeniable Attraction Towards The Other Person
As we stated at the beginning of this article, there is a big difference between love and sexual attraction. For this characteristic, we don’t necessarily mean physical attraction, although that is necessary for a relationship. We are talking about your attraction to little things that your partner does. For example, maybe you fall in love every time your significant other laughs or every time they forget something that they needed to do. When you’re in love, you will also feel attracted to your significant other no matter what they look like at that moment.
- You’re Willing To Give More Than Take
When we love someone, we want to give them the world. We want to help them reach their goals and their dreams so that we can see that sparkle in their eyes when they finally have what they want. When you’re not in a relationship that involves, you will be missing this very important characteristic, and you will see that you are still willing to take from that other person rather than give to them and provide more value to their life.
- You Develop A Deep Connection
Relationships that are not destined to go far often rarely go beneath the surface level of things. This is because one or both parties are unable or unwilling to share things about themselves that will help to develop meaningful and long-lasting connections. When you are in a relationship with someone else that involves love, you will have no problem going into depth about yourself and trying to connect with another person on a deeper level. There is no fear in sharing personal stuff when you are in love, and it only adds to your relationship.
- There Is A Clear Lack of Judgment Towards Your Partner
When you’re with someone, and you’re not in love, it can be easy to judge them. Some of their behaviors, beliefs, and even actions can make you judge them. When you are in love, it becomes more about understanding than about judgment. Although there are limits as to what your significant other can do before you have to pass judgment, you always try your best to see into the heart of the person that you are with and recognize the good parts of them rather than focusing on some of the bad qualities that they may have.
- You’re Always Willing To Support Your Significant Other
Your willingness to support your partner through thick and thin is a big indicator of love. For example, let’s imagine that you have been seeing someone for a while and they have the opportunity to take a lucrative job in another state. If you don’t love them, you will most likely tell them that you can’t accept that or that you don’t care one way or another if they leave. If you do love them, you will be supportive of their opportunity and let them know that you will make this relationship work no matter what.
What Is Lust?
Lust is an intense desire to have sex with another person. In fact, some research has revealed that lusting after someone is similar to having an addiction to a drug. When you are lusting after someone, you are fully focused on the sexual aspects and fantasies rather than building a relationship.
Important Characteristics Of Lust
Lust is very easy to identify. Here are some of the key characteristics:
- You Don’t Think About Anything Past Sexual Encounters
If you’re in a relationship or seeing someone and the only thing you think about is sex, that is a huge sign that this connection ends at lust. People who are in love will fantasize a life together with the person they are seeing and will imagine different scenarios that involve romance and happiness rather than just sex.
- You’ll Do Anything To Get With the Person You Are Focused On
People who are in love with someone will be upfront and honest about everything to impress the person that they love. People who are only lusting after someone will do almost anything in their power to get into bed with them. Lying, pretending to be someone their not, and even exaggerating the truth is not below someone who wants to have sex with someone else.
- You Don’t Want To Build A Connection
When you’re lusting after someone, you’ll have no desire to speak with them about anything beyond sexual topics. You’ll do whatever it takes to avoid building a connection with that person, and you will know that you don’t want a connection as well. If the interaction ends in the bedroom, you are not in love.
These are only a few ideas that show the difference between lust and love, but you can understand why lust and love are so different from these examples.
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