A crush is the intense and short-lived infatuation you feel for someone, often a close friend. You might dream about them, feel your palms getting sweaty when you see them, and feel anxious and excited when you talk to them. A crush can be good or bad, depending on the person and how you handle it.
The term is most commonly used to describe romantic attraction, but it can also refer to feelings of infatuation or admiration for a person or place. A crush can also be a social construct, such as a group of students forming a clique or a fan base for a sports team.
Having a crush usually happens when you are young and is a normal part of growing up, New York City-based therapist Dr. Bukky Kolawole told INSIDER. “Crushes are often rooted in fantasy and tend to happen when you don’t know much about the person but idealize what they would be like,” she said. “Both loves and crushes trigger similar biological responses in the body, including hormone release.”
It’s important to distinguish a crush from a full-blown relationship because both can have negative effects on your life. For instance, having a crush may make you act awkward around the person or cause your friendship to be put on hold. In addition, if you’re in a committed relationship, crushing can be a dangerous distraction that could lead to infidelity.
Research has shown that the feelings of a crush aren’t as strong as those of true love, and they’re likely to fade over time. The best way to keep a crush from turning into an infatuation is to try not to overthink it and to be honest about what you’re feeling. You can also take steps to increase your confidence in order to diminish your nervousness and anxiety.
One study found that people who crush on others are more likely to become depressed and anxious than those without crushes. It’s not known why, but researchers speculate that having a crush can be a kind of self-medication for unresolved emotions or problems with your own relationship.
In a qualitative study, participants who reported having a crush indicated that they didn’t expect the attraction to become intimate and emphasized that they wanted to maintain friendly or flirtatious relationships with their crushes. However, a few of the participants who had crushes while in a committed relationship did express moral concerns that their attractions to others might be seen as a form of infidelity and harm to their primary partners.
Crush is a sweet and fluffy comedy with familiar settings and tropes, but it has some charming and hilarious moments. Rowan Blanchard is likable as the art college-bound Paige, and Aasif Mandvi and Michelle Buteau play her parents with considerable comic flair. But Megan Mullally’s mom, who is supposed to be hipper than her daughter, comes across as pandering (outside of one meaningful advice scene). Families can discuss whether the film’s depiction of teen romance feels realistic or not.