Limerence

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Limerence is the mental state of being madly in love or intensely infatuated when reciprocation of the feeling is uncertain. This state is characterized by intrusive thoughts and idealization of the loved one (also called "crystallization"), typically with a desire for reciprocation to form a relationship. This is accompanied by feelings of ecstasy or despair, depending on whether one's feelings seem to be reciprocated or not. Limerence can be distinguished from other forms of romantic love using the model of obsessive and harmonious romantic passion: limerence is an obsessive passion—defined as entailing a relative lack of control, and preventing full concentration on other activities. Research on the biology of romantic love indicates that intense romantic love such as this (also called passionate love) resembles addiction during the early stage or when unreciprocated, but academics do not currently agree on how love addictions are defined. The psychologist Dorothy Tennov coined the term...

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