Can You Be in Love With Somebody You Hardly Know?

Look at your first love as more of a crush or infatuation.
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The chemistry was instant. From the first time your eyes met, you haven't wanted to look away. Even though you've only been on a few dates, you know that he's "the one." Is what you feel real? Understanding whether falling in love with someone you hardly know is possible can help you to make key life decisions.

1 Initial Attraction

The excitement you feel is normal in the beginning of a relationship, according to the article "Love and Romance" on the TeensHealth website. That said, a physical attraction to your potential partner doesn't equate to true love. It is easy to confuse the heart-pounding, cheek-flushing rush of electricity with falling in love. Keep in mind that attraction alone isn't enough. If all that you know about your girl is that she has the bluest eyes you've ever seen, chances are you aren't really in love.

2 Develop Closeness

Developing a sense of closeness is an essential part of true love. When you add closeness to that initial feeling of attraction, you can have a loving relationship. Building closeness includes sharing thoughts with one another and supporting each other through thick and thin. If you hardly know your partner, it is unlikely that you have the bond necessary for love.

3 Right All Along

Some feel it is impossible to care deeply for someone if you don't know them. This way of thinking revolves around the idea that without reliable knowledge of true traits -- such as humor or intelligence -- you don't yet have the ability to fall in love. That said, your initial instinct isn't always wrong. As your relationship progresses, you may find that your first feelings or immediate evaluation of the person's characteristics were right all along.

4 Lasting Love

While the instant attraction that you may feel can give you loving feelings, translating that into a long-term romantic relationship depends on what happens next. The "love at first sight" feeling can grow into authentic long-term love, according to professor of philosophy Aaron Ben-Zeev in the article "Love at First Sight (and First Chat)" on the Psychology Today website. If your relationship builds off of the initial feelings, continuing to progress in intensity and depth, it can grow in a healthy way.

Based in Pittsburgh, Erica Loop has been writing education, child development and parenting articles since 2009. Her articles have appeared in "Pittsburgh Parent Magazine" and the website PBS Parents. She has a Master of Science in applied developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education.

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