Signs that you are falling in love

Knowing youre in love feels different for everyone. Some have been in love often and know the feeling well, and others may be not so sure if its love or just a deep infatuation.

Luckily, your body has some pretty sneaky ways of tipping you off to whether these feelings for your partner are more than just a passing phase. Keep an eye out for these tell-tale signs the next time you catch yourself wondering if youre actually in love.

You cant stop staring at them.

If your partner has ever caught you staring at them lovingly, it could be a sign that youre head over heels. Eye contact means that youre fixated on something, so if you find that your eyes are fixed on your partner, you may just be falling in love.

Studies have also found that couples who lock eyes report feeling a stronger romantic connection than those who dont. It goes the other way too: when a study had strangers lock eyes for minutes at a time, they reported romantic feeling towards each other.

You feel like youre high.

Its completely normal to feel out of your mind when falling for someone.

A study from the Kinsey Institute found that the brain of a person falling in love looks the same as the brain of a person who has taken cocaine. You can thank dopamine, which is released in both instances, for that feeling.

This is a good explanation for why people in new relationships can act absolutely nonsensically.

You always think about them.

If you love someone, you may feel like you cant get them off of your mind. Thats because your brain releases phenylethylamine, aka the “love drug” when you fall in love with someone. This hormone creates the feeling of infatuation with your partner.

You may be familiar with the feeling because phenylethylamine is also found in chocolate, which may explain why you cant stop after just one square.

You want them to be happy.

Love is an equal partnership, but youll find someones happiness becomes really important to you when youre falling for them.

So-called “compassionate love” can be one of the biggest signs of a healthy relationship, according to research. This means that youre willing to go out of your way to make your partners life easier and happier.

If you find yourself going out of your way to keep your partner dry when walking in the rain or making them breakfast on a busy weekday morning, its a sign youve got it bad.

Youve been stressed lately.

Although love is often associated with warm and fuzzy feelings, it can also be a huge source of stress. Being in love often causes your brain to release the stress hormone cortisol, which can lead you to feel the heat.

So if youve noticed your patience is being tested a little more than normal or youre kind of freaking out, you may not need to carry a stress ball just yet; you may just be in love.