Which is which ?

I was once questioned by this guy saying, "When did you first realized that you're in love?"


... I just answered ...


"Honestly, it is hard to distinguish a mere crush from a true love."


Most people say that if you're in love with someone, you can accept him for who he is. As we all know, nobody's perfect; everyone has flaws... everyone commits a mistake. Also, people say that you love someone if you're happy when he's happy... you're sad when he's sad... and if you only want the best for him. 


Love and Infatuation are both intense emotions that one feels for another person. These feelings are most often confused for each other by many people. But the two feelings differ in their actuality of love, intensity and final outcome.


What is the difference between the two?

Infatuation
-It is associated with the physical outlook.
-It is a physical desire, crush, or lust.
-Feelings associated with extreme happiness.
-It cannot be sustained without some portion of love and physical attraction.
-Infatuation is the state of being completely carried away by unreasoning passion or love.
-You want the same feeling in return.
-Symptoms include: urgency, intensity, sexual desire, anxiety


Love
-It is emotionally and intellectually compatible.
-It is more on romantic love, attachment, passion, intimacy, and commitment.
-It is a euphoric feeling.
-It cannot be sustained without communication and some level of physical attraction.
-It is a tender, passionate affection for another person.

-It is a constellation of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection or profound oneness

-You are not expecting anything in return and desiring the best for the other person.
-It is a connection of your soul with someone else's. It's settling your differences, dealing with conflicts as one person, not to separate entities.

Infatuation is the state of being completely carried away by unreasoning passion or love; addictive love. Infatuation usually occurs at the beginning of relationship when sexual attraction is central. Love can be described as feeling of intense affection for another person. It is most often talked about as an emotion between two persons. Hence is also sometimes referred to as interpersonal love.

Dictionary Meaning:

As a noun, Love is described as:

1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. sexual passion or desire.
4. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
5. (used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?

As a noun, infatuation is described as

1. a foolish and usually extravagant passion or love or admiration
2. temporary love of an adolescent
3. an object of extravagant short-lived passion

Symptoms of Love versus Infatuation:

The foremost symptom of being infatuated by a person is wanting to be around that person. This may sometimes also be sexual desire. Other symptoms may be anxiety, panic, jealousy etc. Love, on the other hand, may start with an infatuation or lust and then become love. Symptoms of love are emotional attachment with someone, a feeling of anxiety, affection.

Differences in Attributes:

Love can happen without conscious intention and hence pure love doesn't expect anything in return. Infatuation, though, comes with a feeling of passion. It may start with physical attraction and may render excitement to be around a person. Love comes with passion as well as intimacy. Love is also tolerant and forgiving while Infatuation may invoke jealousy. Infatuation induces impatience while Love is patient.

Reasons why people fall in love or be infatuated:

Love can happen without conscious intention and hence pure love doesn't expect anything in return. Infatuation, though, comes with a feeling of passion. It may start with physical attraction and may render excitement to be around a person. Love comes with passion as well as intimacy. Love is also tolerant and forgiving while Infatuation may invoke jealousy. Infatuation induces impatience while Love is patient
.
Differences in Feelings: 

Infatuation feels like being in love but it is not. The intensity of the emotion is strong but not pure enough like love.

Love is the quiet understanding and mature acceptance of imperfection. Love is always associated with connection between two souls that goes beyond the self. Infatuation may make the other person selfish if the opposite person's reaction isn't the same. Infatuation isn't pure like love and may be accompanied by lust. It goes about thinking about oneself and not the other person.

Differences in effects of separation:

Infatuation is weakened by time and separation where real love is strengthened by time and separation. Separation in both emotions causes great pain but infatuation may get weak and cause the feeling to lessen over time. Love develops more with time and separation.

Commitment in Love versus Infatuation:

While true and pure love between two people can develop into long term commitment, infatuation may only in very few cases lead to any commitment. True love induces a feeling of commitment towards the other person while infatuation doesn't make one feel committed towards the opposite person.

Age as a factor:

Infatuation is generally in the context of teenage or adolescence. There is generally no age associated with love. Anyone can be in love at any age, but most love stories before the age of 18 is considered infatuation or "puppy love".

There are many ways of how people differentiate an infatuation from that of a true love but it is better to have your own definition of what love really is. :)