Love at first sight
It was love at first sight. It’s always exciting to hear those words. But do people
believe in falling in love in a few short seconds? We asked 40 Americans this
question – 18 men and 22 women. Thirteen people (32%) said they believed in
love at first sight; 27 people (68%) said they didn’t.
What was the most interesting thing we learned in our study? More men believed
in love at first sight than women: 44% of the men believed in this kind of love,
while only 27% of the women did. Here’s what some of the men and women in our
survey said about love at first sight.
John, artist, 30
‘Yes, I believe in love at first sight. It happened to me. I was at a party some years
ago when I saw Luisa. I knew she was the one for me when she looked into my
eyes with a lot of emotion. It was like they looked into my heart, read my life story,
and said, ‘I like what I see, and want to be with you.’ That night at the party, I went
over to Luisa and asked her to dance. She said, ‘Of course, I was waiting for you
to ask.’ That was three years ago, and we’re still together.’
Mark, salesman, 35
‘I didn’t use to believe in love at first sight, but now I do. About four years ago, I
was giving a sales presentation when this fantastic woman walked into the room.
We made eye contact and my heart started beating faster. After my presentation, I
introduced myself and she and I went out for dinner the next night. We talked and
talked, and by the end of the evening, I was really in love with her. That feeling of
love at first sight was like nothing else. In just a few seconds, I was filled with
intense energy and passion. Anne and I got married a year later.’
Emily, college student, 23
‘No, I don’t believe in love at first sight. Love comes later in a relationship. When I
met my boyfriend, I felt very excited. I think you could call it early feelings of love
that are not serious. It took about a year for true love to develop between us.’