Love at First Sight- Fact or Myth?

Those feelings of fireworks when the meet-cutes lock eyes across a party room, coffee-shop, college, workplace, or simply on a vacation; when the moment stands still and nothing else seems to matter other than yearning the attention of each other, an immediate sense of one another, and a secret wish for the moment to last forever!

From the times of the Indian epics to the Shakespearean era and in modern times, the concept of ‘love at first sight’ has eternally existed. However, with the advent of time, those flutters of the heart and kicking of nerves have been evaluated and concluded as being a mere impact of hormones, the effect of neurochemicals, and purely a biological effect.

While some believe that ‘Love at first sight’ happens when the heart identifies the heart and souls submerge in an instant connection, there are others who think that love at first sight is a ‘positive illusion’, and true love only develops over time. So, is this ‘love at first sight’ a fact or a myth?

That sense of familiarity, pacing heartbeats, an awareness of having known the person from eternity feels simply blissful. Believe it or not, this consciousness of instant love releases all the warm, cozy, and fuzzy feeling that makes one feel an immediate attachment to someone. But does this guarantee a deeper and meaningful love? Maybe not! However, the probability of falling in love later seems quite high with this connection.

Who would deny the exuberance of interlocking those glances with the special someone and drowning in a loop of emotions to create fond memories of that first meeting! And to reconnect with the person with the same passion all over again every time the partners revisit those lanes of remembrances even later in life. That is the effect of love at first sight!

Irrespective of whether this instant connection may flourish into a meaningful and lasting relationship later, the magical effect of that immediate attraction cannot be denied. But doesn’t this instant attraction lead you to ponder and realize that you want to know the person even better through multiple interactions? And who knows you might just end up spending your entire life with that special person!

A willingness to invest in each other’s sentiments and company, a longing that runs much deeper than a merely superficial level, and a strong wish to keep that relationship and those emotions alive! Can all of this happen in just one glance? Is love at first sight real… maybe or maybe not, but that depends upon every individual’s definition of ‘love’ and their understanding of what is ‘real’ according to them.

What about the times when a person feels that instant connection with the partner but the same feeling is not reciprocated by the other partner? And there are times when that love at first sight doesn’t happen at all in the first meeting, but the relationship develops later through shared experiences, feelings, and memories. Whatever it is, don’t sweat! Love grows over time too. Cascading through an instantaneous and powerful connection, to slow-simmered feelings that develop over continued communication and interaction, or the two partners eventually convincing each other of their compelling emotions, love has different phases and diverse kinds.

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Love has varied meanings for every individual. Be it an attraction of physical traits, seeking for the goodness of heart, believing in a soul connection, or filling the void in life perfectly by their partner’s attributes. Whatever may be the definition of love in everyone’s life, as long as that initial chemistry is not felt, the relationship always seems to be missing something. As much as that unknown pleasurable sense of feeling an instant attachment towards someone is significant, a lack of that experience doesn’t mean the relationship cannot have a definite future.

It is rightly said, ‘First impression is the last impression’; and in the case of love at first sight, it mostly holds true as that constant flutter of heart, sense of butterflies floating at the pit of your stomach, pacing heartbeat, emotions rushing down your mind, heart, and soul, and an instant desire to connect to an individual may have deeper integration of energy, sentiments, and sense of comfort. So, give it a chance and let it grow!

About the Columnist-

An author of three books, Jyoti Jha is a Former HR Professional, a Literary Critic, a Columnist, and a Globetrotter. An esteemed winner of ‘TOI Write India Season 3’, she is a proud panelist and Guest Speaker in Talk Shows at prestigious institutions like IIM Lucknow, IIT Delhi, IIT Jammu, and Christ College, she has been an honorable Jury Member at the Literary Club, IIT BHU for Storytelling.