Ah, the bittersweet agony of a crush. That awful mix of exhilaration and anxiety, boldness and insecurity, hope and fear, giddiness and embarrassment. For some, a crush is a stimulating and …
Unanswered questions about limerence
From time to time I speak with journalists about limerence and its implications. The latest time was just this week, and the last question she asked me was: If there was one study you could carry …
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Limerence and the rescue fantasy
The "rescue fantasy" was a concept first coined by Freud, to describe male clients who (in his words): ...repeatedly fall in love with a woman who is ‘of bad repute sexually’ and ‘to whom another …
Analysis of the limerence experience
A few weeks ago, I published a limerence quiz, designed to give people a quick and easy way to assess whether or not they fit the "limerent" personality profile when it comes to falling in …
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Why do I become obsessed with certain people?
One of the most psychologically interesting (and disconcerting) features of romantic life is the mismatch between what we think we want and what we actually desire. Few things illustrate this more …
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Severus Snape, limerent
When it comes to literature and film, there are countless examples of characters driven mad by limerence - epic, tragic romances of soul-scouring obsessive love. Romeo and Juliet, Dante and Beatrice, …