Love The power of

Short and sweet or long and lingering? Karen Nimmo looks at the phenomenon of ‘love at first sight’.

You and that mysterious stranger lock eyes across a crowded room. Your heart beats faster and time stands still. You meet, you talk, you feel an instant connection – physically, mentally and emotionally. And you allow yourself to think that this could be ‘‘the one’’.

Is it love at first sight? Is it possible to fall for someone you barely know? We have all heard stories of love at first sight. And even if we don’t know the characters personally, we have read the books, and we have seen the movies and syrupy romcoms.

But do you really believe it? And,more importantly,can that spark between two people fan into a flame that goes the distance?

Love at first sight comes down to a feeling in your gut that you are meant to know this person. There is something about their looks, their presence, their smell, the way they speak and behave, that draws you in.

The catch is that your feelings are based on first impressions, which are heavily biased towards a person’s physical appearance.

And that can be a trap. Because people can – and frequently do – turn out to be radically different from the way they present.

No prizes for knowing that falling for someone without knowing them is a high-risk game.

Still, that feeling of instant attraction is awfully seductive. It is exhilarating, fuelled by a rush of sex hormones (also known as lust) that leave you feeling giddy, almost high.

It is a feeling you want to chase, and that can lead you to overlook red flags or override sensible decision-making.

Many people – some studies suggest as many as 50% of adults – believe in love at first sight. A large number also say they have had such an experience. They will describe it as:

■ a feeling of ‘‘coming home’’;

■ it was like there was was no-one else in the room;

■ an intense physical and mental chemistry;

■ a magnetic sexual attraction;

■ a connectedness they have never felt before;

■ I suddenly understood what soulmate meant.