The first sign of liking someone is that you get nervous around them. Sweaty palms, stomach butterflies fluttering so fast you don’t want to eat, an increased heartbeat, and yes, even anxiety, are all signs that you have feelings for someone. But how can you tell whether these physical sensations are springing from a wellspring of passion or if their source is insecurity? What happens to your body when you like someone can make it kind of hard to tell whether your crush is a good thing or not. That’s why Elite Daily talked to some experts, who said that the physical signs you like someone are as much of a cue as what’s happening in your head.
Understanding the combination of the signals coming from your head and your heart can help you evaluate whether you really want to be with someone, or if you simply are drawn to the feeling they leave you with. Because a lot of us, especially those with insecure attachment styles, can literally be drawn to sources of anxiety if we think that’s how love is supposed to feel.
How do you know whether you want to be with this person or just be with anyone? Here are the signs.
1. You Like The Way They Smell
According to Lisa Hochberger, a sexologist and relationship expert, if you like the way somebody smells, then it means your pheromones are giving you a big thumbs up. Pheromones are the substance that animals — including humans — secrete to communicate with one another.
“If you smell something that smells bad [on your date], it means that you’re not attracted to their pheromones,” Hochberger says. “If you notice a scent that isn’t something that you like, it might have to do with your ability to be with the person physically.”
Pheromones are nature’s way of helping animals identify a mate with a different immune system, giving their offspring better chances of fending off diseases and pathogens. Their influence is so powerful that they can literally stop your attraction before it starts. The laws of attraction are non-negotiable. It’s simply animal instinct, after all.
2. They Have A Gravitational Pull On You
When you are attracted to someone, then the position of your body is attuned to them. You keep yourself turned toward them and attentive to them. “You might feel yourself leaning towards them because you want to kiss them,” says Hochberger. “If you’re not physically attracted to someone, your mind isn’t even going to get distracted with the thought of getting closer.”
Basically, when you want to be with someone, your body wants to be near them. And your physical form will do whatever it takes to make that subconscious desire real.
3. You Feel Passion Affecting Your Body
When you’re really falling for someone, your body makes it so that you can’t eat or sleep, and you find yourself distracted from whatever you are doing by thinking about them. At first, the passion you feel might make it hard to function as a human being.
“If you don’t find yourself thinking about someone,” Hochberger says, “then you’re probably not that into them.” It might sound obvious, but how many times have you tricked yourself into thinking that you’re really into someone, because you think that they are the kind of person you should be into, only to discover that you completely forget about them when you’re going about your business? I know that’s happened to me.
Love just isn’t something that you can rush. If you don’t feel these things happening in your body, all it means is that you can focus on pouring the love you have inside of you into your projects, friendships, home, and yourself. Whether or not you happen to be feeling it in your body doesn’t mean that love isn’t around you at all times.
