The Science Behind Love at First Sight

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We have all heard about “love at first sight.” Most of us have only experienced it vicariously: listening to the recitations of couples we know who describe in vivid detail the moment their eyes locked across a crowded room. But is love at first sight really possible? Research reveals some factors that make people more susceptible to falling for prospective paramours sooner than would be expected.

Ready to Fall in Love

Research reveals that people fall in love faster if they want to. Jin Zhang et al. (2021) investigated the neuroscience behind the desire to fall in love.¹ They studied the impulse of love at first sight, considering the fact that knowing how attracted one is to a potential partner may contribute to establishing a relationship. They used the electrocardiograph signal collection method to determine whether participants possessed the desire to fall in love, which helped them choose the right partner quickest, which was helpful in forming a romantic relationship.

Beyond desire and readiness, other research indicates that the experience of falling in love may depend on subjective expectations gathered through entertainment viewing, including television and movies.

Motivated to Learn How to Fall in Love

Veronica Hefner and Barbara J. Wilson (2013) investigated the influence of romantic ideals as portrayed in the movies on the way young people view relationships.² In their first study examining the top 52 highest-grossing romantic comedies from the decade before the study (1998–2008), including movies such as "The Wedding Planner" and "27 Dresses," they found that romantic ideals and challenges were prevalent in the films. In their second study, surveying 335 undergraduate students who shared their romantic comedy movie viewing and beliefs about romance, they found that subjects who watched such films to learn exhibited stronger endorsement of romantic ideals than those who did not watch to learn.

Hefner and Wilson note that previous research tested how television programming impacted attitudes toward dating and relationships. Apparently, heavy viewing of romantic television programs such as soap operas and reality-based relationship shows was associated with believing romantic partners should “know each other’s inner feelings.” In other research, heavy viewing of dating television shows was associated with the same dating attitudes portrayed within the programming, such as the belief that dating is a game. Among high-school students, other researchers found that students who watched a high amount of romantic television were more likely to endorse traditional attitudes about dating roles, such as the belief that on a date the man should be in charge.

Reviewing the results of their own two studies, Hefner and Wilson developed four general conclusions: (1) romantic ideals and challenges are prevalent within romantic comedies; (2) such ideals are more frequently rewarded than punished, which is the opposite finding with respect to challenges; (3) romantic comedy viewing is linked with endorsing certain beliefs; and (4) watching romantic comedies with a motivation to learn is positively linked with endorsing all romantic beliefs.

Hefner and Wilson note that their findings support previous research finding that people often seek out romantic content with the desire to learn about relationships. Accordingly, they note that the act of consuming media in order to learn may actually have more of an influence than the total amount of exposure.

So, apparently, although love at first sight might not be technically possible before the first meeting, locking eyes across a crowded room can serve as the first step to building romance among those people who are ready, willing, and able.

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