Love how long

Michelle and Barack Obama had the opposite experience—she says she fell in love while watching him work as a community organizer. My parents met at 19 and have been happily married for almost 36 years. My dad laughs when I ask how long it took him to know he was in love. Every blockbuster, every insurance ad, every wise older person, every book series about teen wizards, tells you that love is the thing that makes life worth living.

As soon as you feel comfortable enough to start acting unbearably happy, concerned friends swoop in with questions. When do most people know? Forget, for a moment, love at first sight. Love at first sight, if you believe in it, takes a millisecond. Case closed! It might also depend on your personality, age, emotional availability, and how often you see each other. For some people, having sex or being physically intimate accelerates their emotional attachment to someone.

Sure, people can have an instant attraction and chemistry with someone. As for love — well, true love requires knowing someone, which takes time. The question is — is that feeling enough to sustain love? Falling in love and staying in love are two very different things, which explains why you can feel an immediate spark with someone that fades once you start to see different sides of them.

I thought so. Many people assume that women are more in touch with their emotions, and therefore more likely to fall in love faster as well as express that love out loud.

But this study totally squashes that gender stereotype. Another study of college students published in The Journal of Social Psychology also revealed that men not only fall in love faster than women but are apt to say it more quickly. Harrison, Marissa A. The Journal of Social Psychology.

Aron, Arthur. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Aimee Hartstein , L. Yvonne Thomas , Ph. Rachel Needle , Psy. Margaret Clark , Ph. Harville Hendrix , Ph. Helen LaKelly Hunt , Ph. Terri Cole , L. Updated: May 21, Originally Published: March 19, See All Health Relationships Self.