What Does Romantic Attraction Feel Like | What Does Romantic Attraction Feel Like (2024)

What Does Romantic Attraction Feel Like | What Does Romantic Attraction Feel Like (1) Tamika Lewis April 12, 2022

An individual can experience different types of attraction towards the other, from sexual to emotional to love. Knowing the difference between each one of them is crucial in defining the relationship you have. Find out what does romantic attraction feel like and how to distinguish it from other types of attraction.

Let’s Start by Explaining What an Attraction Is

Attractiveness is an interest, desire, affinity, or liking that can be emotional, sexual, romantic, physical, or aesthetic. As you can see, attractiveness comes in many forms, and people can experience several of them simultaneously.

Many individuals think there is only one type of attraction, a romantic one, but you can have different feelings towards an individual that can fall under this category. Learning more about the nature of attraction we experience will help us understand better what we are feeling.

There Are Different Types of Attraction

A big part of taking care of yourself and your feelings is learning how to recognize what you are feeling. So when you start a relationship with someone, you don’t mislead yourself or that individual. Also, as there are several types of attraction, various types of individuals experience these emotions differently.

For example, when we talk about introverts vs. extroverts, one of the main differences will be how they express themselves and how they share their thoughts and emotions. If you are not sure about what you are feeling or you’re going through a bad breakup, attraction toward someone can trick us into rushing things up and misjudging what we are actually feeling. So if you are in a rough phase, seek therapy for women to work together with professionals on understanding your feelings. Here are the main types of attraction:

  • Emotional,
  • Romantic,
  • Sexual,
  • Physical,
  • Aesthetic.

What Does Romantic Attraction Feel Like

Romantical feelings can be described as deep emotional interest and connection with another individual that is not purely physical or sexual. One of the first signs is that you wish to be intimate with that individual, but that intimacy doesn’t need to be of a sexual nature.

When you are romantically attracted to someone, you want to be around that individual all the time. You wish to share your future, dreams, and every little thing that is going on in your life. And if the person you are attracted to wishes to share the same things as well, that sounds like love.

You Feel Connected to That individual on So Many Levels

A pure desire to be around someone is not everything romance is about. What does it mean to like someone romantically is to feel connected to that individual on so many levels. You can easily talk to them, make jokes and share things you will normally do after some time passes. You don’t necessarily have to have the same interests, but your points of view should be similar.

If their ideas and thoughts are attractive to you and that individual inspires you, then there is no doubt you like this person very much. If you wish to know all about the other person’s interests, it means you are probably going to end up in love with them.

You Are Happy Whenever Around That Person

If you catch yourself smiling all the time when you are around that special someone or whenever you think about them, it probably means you have developed some loving feelings. If you are happy whenever around that person or you daydream a lot about them, you have some romantic feelings for sure, but if you are seeing someone for a while and you don’t feel excited or happy about it, that is a sign you should walk away from that relationship.

You Have Plans Together

If your daydreaming includes thoughts about your future together, you are thinking about this individual more seriously. If the other person is daydreaming too, then you are on a good road to developing a deep relationship. When planning a future doesn’t give you any anxiety symptoms, then that is a sign you are comfortable enough and that committing to that person doesn’t scare you.

You Want to Be Physically Close to Them

What are romantic feelings? Loving feelings don’t exclude sexual ones. But if sexual attractiveness is all you feel, then that is not romance. If you wish to be intimate with someone without sexual intercourse, that means you wish for more than a physical relationship with someone.

So if you just want to lay next to that person and cuddle until you fall asleep, then that is more than just sexual attraction. If you have an urge to touch, hug or hold the other person’s hand, those are the signs you are feeling more.

What Does Romantic Attraction Feel Like | What Does Romantic Attraction Feel Like (2)

What does it mean to be romantically attracted to someone? If that individual makes you happy, you want to share everything with them.

Is Attraction a Key to a Healthy Relationship?

Like with anything in life, having a healthy foundation is the key to success. The same is when it comes to a relationship. If you start one with misleading or uncertain feelings, you will end up hurting yourself or your partner. To have a healthy relationship, you need to have a deep and good understanding of what you are feeling. This way, you will not confuse sexual attraction, with a romantic one, for example.

People often make these mistakes. Usually, after a long relationship, they rush to get into a new one without giving themselves enough time to get over a breakup. This is why self-care is important. With good counseling for women and self-care tips, you will learn to give yourself some time to process the breakup without taking any steps that can lead to a toxic and unhealthy relationship.

The Attraction You Don’t Want in Your Life

With the help of therapists, you can learn how to recognize bad patterns you have when it comes to choosing partners because if you are constantly ending up with people who don’t respect you and take care of you the way you deserve, the problem is probably deep inside of you.

By learning how to avoid “bad boys,” you will break the destructive patterns and be able to start a relationship with someone good for you. Here are some red flags that can indicate you are attracted to unhealthy individuals:

  • Attracted to unavailability – This means that you are constantly going after people who don’t wish to be around you. To rephrase this, you have a desire to chase those who are untouchable. If this is something you do, talk to a counselor for women so you can resolve these issues and start seeing people who actually want you around.
  • Constant criticism – If you are attracted to people who constantly pick on you and criticize you, you have probably grown up in a family of critics. Avoid individuals who behave this way. Break the pattern and seek someone kind.
  • Attracted to the damaged and wounded – Many are drawn to the damaged and wounded and have a need to help them and put them back on their feet. However, relationships like that usually end with a breakup because either you will get tired of taking care of them, or they will get better and move on.
  • You want drama in your life – Many people think they want drama in their life. They usually believe that drama is passion in their relationship and that without it, everything is boring. Even though it can be exciting in the beginning, in the end, it will just become mentally exhausting and toxic.

With the Help of Women’s Counseling, You Will Learn How to Avoid Unhealthy Relationships

As you can see, there can be many reasons why we jump into bad relationships and why we are attracted to those who are not good for us. If you recognize some unhealthy patterns in yourself, then seeking therapy could be a good start to breaking those habits. Women’s therapy will help you maintain relationships you already have and understand the various emotions you might be feeling.

You can search for therapy for women of color. There, you will find an expert who will understand the specific circ*mstances you are in and give you guidance that is tailored to your needs. With the emotional support of a therapist of color, you can deal with all the problems. You will learn how to deal with stress, discrimination, and how to deal with racism, among other things. Many things can impact our behavior without us being aware of it until we start inspecting our emotions.

What Does Romantic Attraction Feel Like | What Does Romantic Attraction Feel Like (2024)

FAQs

What Does Romantic Attraction Feel Like | What Does Romantic Attraction Feel Like? ›

When you feel romantically attracted, you might feel a profound emotional connection. You may feel love toward their personality, imperfections, opinions, mannerisms, and ideas. Although sexual attraction can accompany these feelings, it may not for everyone.

What does a romantic attraction feel like? ›

Romantic attraction: An intense emotional draw toward someone, characterized by a strong desire to intertwine your lives intimately. Intellectual attraction: Being pulled in by someone's cognitive abilities, thoughts, and opinions. Sexual attraction: A physical draw toward someone that leads to bodily sexual responses.

What is romantic love supposed to feel like? ›

Romantic love combines intimacy, passion, and commitment and tends to occur in phases. Infatuation is often followed by disillusionment and challenges before a mature type of romantic love takes hold.

How do you know if attraction is romantic or platonic? ›

Romantic love is the love between romantic partners, which involves a mix of passion, sexual attraction, attachment, and commitment. Platonic love takes the sex and romance out of the equation, while still involving similar levels of closeness, commitment, and care.

How long does it take to feel romantic attraction? ›

There's no set timeline for falling in love. Some people feel instant attraction at first sight, while others may take months to form a deep connection. Love tends to be somewhat complicated. Most people would probably agree, in fact, that even “complicated” is putting it mildly.

What triggers romantic attraction? ›

Testosterone and estrogen drive lust; dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin create attraction; and oxytocin and vasopressin mediate attachment.

Does romantic attraction mean love? ›

Romantic attraction refers to the sparks of love and sometimes sexual feelings we feel for another person. Romantic attraction is not a static experience and can change for people as their relationships evolve and change.

How does a romantic person behave? ›

First and foremost, a romantic person is willing to regularly show how much they love and adore the object of their affection. They might regularly offer small displays of affection, whether that's through acts of service, words of affirmation, or other sweet gestures.

What real love feels like for a man? ›

When in love, a man can feel many different ways. He may notice that his attention and goals start to shift. One such example would be that he's interested in you and building a relationship and not just thinking about his sex life. When he's falling in love, everything is likely to become about her.

How can you tell if someone is romantic? ›

They are attentive: A romantic person pays close attention to their partner and is aware of their likes and dislikes. They are affectionate: A romantic person enjoys expressing their love through physical touch, such as holding hands, hugging, and kissing.

What does WTFromantic mean? ›

WTFromantic (comparative more WTFromantic, superlative most WTFromantic) (vulgar, humorous, neologism) Unable to distinguish romantic attraction from platonic attraction in oneself. quotations ▼

When you can t tell the difference between platonic and romantic feelings? ›

Such people often develop feelings that are somewhere between platonic and romantic, or they could be aromantic crushes (called Squishes, where people just want to spend time together and form a deep emotional connection). It is called alterous attraction.

Do I love him or am I just attached? ›

When you are in love with someone, you feel free. You can finally be yourself around the person who knows you inside and out. But when you are attached to someone, you will notice that your feelings control your entire mind and body; in turn, you may even manipulate people to be with you.

What is the first stage of love attraction? ›

Stage one: Initial attraction

The first love stage, also known as the attraction stage may be described by Hollywood films when two characters lock eyes, the music swells, and they declare love at first sight. Although we may enjoy seeing this portrayed in movies, love may not be that simple.

Why do I lose romantic attraction so quickly? ›

First, try to take care of yourself! Your own emotional problems might be causing loss of attraction between you and your partner. Be honest with yourself about your own life issues. Stress, mental health issues, physical health or baggage from your past can all affect the way that you're attracted to your partner.

Why do I feel so strongly about someone I just met? ›

It is a common human response, as we are creatures of emotion as well as thought. A strong pheromone response may be partially to blame. Liking someone at first sight is not a bad thing. Meeting someone we find extremely pleasing is a powerful experience, and rightly so.

How can you tell if someone is romantic interested? ›

How to tell if someone likes you
  1. They respond quickly. Dating experts will often use the phrase, “if they want to, they will”. ...
  2. They message you often. ...
  3. They use emojis. ...
  4. They pay close attention. ...
  5. They mirror you. ...
  6. They accommodate your platform of choice. ...
  7. They exhibit positive body language. ...
  8. They ask you about yourself.
Jan 29, 2024

How do you know if someone is romantically interested? ›

If they are romantically interested, they are even more attentive—by hanging around, doing courteous things, and flirting more directly. In contrast, if someone is disinterested, they are not attentive. They may distract themselves, hang up, ignore, or avoid the person instead.

How do I know if I'm in love or just attracted? ›

Your feelings don't fade.

One sign that this is more than a crush: Your positive emotions last beyond the initial attraction phase. When you're in love, "your feelings don't dissipate over time, but get stronger and deeper," says Irina Firstein, LCSW, a therapist based in New York City.

What are you supposed to feel when you are attracted to someone? ›

Jitters and feelings of excitement are typically signs of physical attraction. Many people find that they begin to plan for the encounter long before it's supposed to occur. You may realize your heart rate increases when you hear their voice, or you smile when they walk into a room.

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