A crush is that person you like so much it makes your palms sweat and your heart flutter. You blush incessantly when you see them, and your usually witty tongue becomes tongue-tied when you try to say hello. You imagine all sorts of scenarios around interactions with them, and fantasize about ways you could take those interactions to the next level, like hanging out together or collaborating on a project. Whether your crush is the boy from your chemistry class or the girl who lives next door, they feel like the center of your universe.
In a recent study, researchers asked people about their experiences with a crush, and found that most people had at least one crush in their lifetime. While many of these crushes were asexual, others were not. People who had a crush described it as a temporary but intense infatuation that often involved sexual or romantic fantasies. In addition to feeling physically and emotionally attracted to their crush, people also reported wanting to be closer friends with them.
Some people, especially those in committed relationships, may worry that a crush will ruin their relationship or cause them to cheat on their partner. However, most people in the study reported that they did not expect their crush to become intimately involved with them (see Table 5). Instead, they were happy to maintain friendly or flirtatious interactions with their crush and continue to fantasize privately about sexual or romantic involvement with them.
While a crush creates similar biological reactions as falling in love, Cacioppo explained to INSIDER that “crushing happens on a different plane than love; it can feel uncontrollable and out of your control.”
Even though the movie is centered around Paige’s crush on AJ, there are some surprisingly subversive moments. The best example of this is when AJ and Paige play seven minutes of Seven Minutes in the Hotel Bathroom, a game that perfectly illustrates how they balance their mutual attraction with friendship and realism. However, while Crush carries a lot of tummy-tickling humor, it lacks the requisite dose of youthful mischief and stakes that are integral to the types of romantic comedies it’s trying to emulate. For this reason, the film ends up feeling somewhat predictable and blah.