Every love relationship goes through different phases. Do you know which one you are in? Discover the different stages of a relationship and its main characteristics. Find out which one you are in.
A love relationship goes through different stages that differ in intensity, passion, commitment, need for the other, etc. Love evolves over time without this meaning that the “spark” goes out, what happens is that it transforms over the years. In reality, love is always changing. The important thing within the different phases of love It is fighting for the trust of the bond between two people.
What are the phases of love?
We have all perceived on our own skin the different phases of a relationship. But, according to studies we can identify the following stages of a love relationship
First phase: Falling in love
The first phase of love is known as “infatuation“and, while we are in it, we idealize the other. During these stages of a relationship we think that our partner has no defects, or, if he has them, they are minimal and are compensated by his abundant and exceptional virtues. Contacts with the partner are sporadic and in moments of absence feelings of longing and loneliness are experienced due to the lack of the other. During the stages of falling in love is when erotic passion and romanticism occur with greater intensity.
Characteristics of the phases of falling in love
There are a series of signs that are very identifiable during one of these phases of love Among the most notable we find the following.
1. Physical and chemical attraction
The main characteristic of the stages of falling in love is that our brain is flooded by a lot of hormones that will affect many parts of the brain such as the frontal, which is the part of the brain in charge of “let’s be responsible“and they make us have a very high sexual desire, we look for any time to be with our partner, an idealization of the partner occurs, and we do it”madness of love“.
These madnesses of love will be of special importance in the following phases of the relationship since it will be those crazy things that are remembered by the couple as something very good, positive and as proof of what was done for her and how important she is to your life.
2. See only the virtues
He falling in love is one of the phases What makes us idealize the person next to us the most. So much so that people normally focus on the similarities they have with each other and ignore all their flaws. This happens due to all the symptoms of chemical attraction that exist between two people. Through all this hormonal imbalance, one of these stages of love is experienced as if the lovers were on a cloud.
3. Spend a lot of time together
During the falling in love phase People usually spend a lot of time united and together. This is due precisely to all the feelings and emotions that are perceived towards the lover. In these phases of love, the woman or man in love usually wants to spend a lot of time with the other person.
4. Conflict avoidance
In the falling in love phase , there are no conflicts. For this reason, people often think that there will never be problems between the two parties. Despite this, it is true that during these stages of a relationship these conflicts do not usually appear.
How long does falling in love last?
It is very common that when starting or being in a relationship, people wonder how long does falling in love last The reason for this is that this is one of the stages of love that is most enjoyed within a relationship. According to different studies, these phases of love usually last between six months and two years. Even so, there is a small part of the population (between 15% to 30%) who say that they are still in love even though they have been in love for many years and that it feels like they are in the first months of the relationship.
Second phase: Love or intimacy
Then the Phase of “love “The knowledge of the other is greater, so their defects, their thoughts, their reactions in extreme situations, etc. begin to become evident. The idealization of the previous phase is no longer as high, and routines and boredom may appear. However, romantic behaviors are still very frequent. Erotic passion, on the other hand, does weaken during this second phase of love.
Characteristics of the love or intimacy phase
According to research these stages of romanticism They are characterized by an evolution towards a much more stable bond. Among the most common characteristics of one of these stages of a relationship are the following.
1. Emotional union
After feeling all symptoms of chemical attraction between two people Over time these effects calm down and lead to a much more emotionally balanced relationship. In this way, in these phases of love, people realize if they really want to be with their lover and share many years of her life or even all of her.
2. More communication
During the first stages of a relationship , love and passion usually have a lot of prominence in dating. On the other hand, during these phases of love or stages of courtship, people usually begin to communicate in a more fluid way. This creates a much greater feeling of security and comfort within the couple.
3. You start to see their flaws
During these stages of falling in love People begin to see what they really don’t like about the person next to them. This doesn’t mean that you’re no longer in love, it just means that your partner doesn’t seem as cool as he or she did during the stages of falling in love.
Third phase: Commitment
Finally, the third and last stage of a relationship is called “love partner “. It is characterized by affection over any other feeling. Romanticism has decreased and erotic passion even more. However, commitment to the other reaches its peak and is consolidated. The mutual knowledge between the members of the couple is very high, which causes feelings of complicity, understanding and acceptance, but also habit and routine to fully know the approaches and opinions of the other.
Characteristics of the commitment phase
In these phases of love It will be the starting point to know when love ends in a couple or when it can last many years. According to experts, we can highlight the following characteristics of these stages of love.
1. Maturity of the relationship
In one of these phases of love It requires great maturity and not all couples can reach it. The commitment or decision to continue with the couple is the only important thing for a couple to remain together in the face of life’s adversities. Wanting to continue with the couple because the other person is recognized as someone special and that their presence and support generates enormous benefits for our general well-being.
2. Overcome differences
It is during these stages of love when couples realize that the differences that exist between two people can be overcome. So much so that in many cases, these phases of a relationship are decisive to continue or end the bond.
3. More connection
Although there may be fights involved, the reality is that people feel very connected within these phases of love In this way, trust is one of the key characteristics of these stages of a relationship.
Many couples forget all the details they have during the phases of falling in love and that causes monotony, boredom and laziness to gradually settle in the relationship, causing self-revelations and commitment to decrease.
However, one Relationship , whatever phase it is in, must provide us with positive aspects that make us feel that sharing life is preferable to being alone, otherwise it means that something is not working as it should in the couple. Going to a professional can help you solve this situation.