What Is a Crush?

A crush is an infatuation that can make you giddy and feel like your world is upside down. It can also be painful and confusing. Sometimes, your crush blossoms into something serious, but often times it goes unrequited and leaves you feeling crushed. However, a crush can teach you a lot about yourself and your relationships.

A common misconception is that crushes are only for people in their early teens, but in reality, it can occur at any age. It can be someone you know or even a stranger. It can be a celebrity, family member, coworker, or neighbor. It can be a guy or girl. It can be a parent or friend. It can even be your favorite food or drink.

Crush is a form of infatuation, similar to love, that is typically one-sided. It’s a state of unfulfilled longing for another person, and it usually involves imagining and idealizing that person. These feelings are triggered by the release of dopamine and oxytocin. These chemicals are released during both love and a crush, but the difference is that a crush doesn’t usually lead to mating with the target, like love does.

When a person you have a crush on is around, you want to spend time with them as much as possible. You might follow them to the gym, school, or work. You might call or text them a few times a day. You might obsess over their photos and social media posts. You may even start to feel jealous of all the things they do and who they are with.

In a study published in the journal Psychology of Sexual Attraction, researchers found that people who are in committed intimate relationships still experience crushes. The majority of those in the study reported having at least one crush during their relationship. The researchers compared this group to a demographically representative sample of adults who are not in committed relationships (singles). The researchers found that although individuals in committed relationships still experience crushes, they are less likely to act on these emotions. The majority of those in the study also indicated that they were not interested in making their extra-dyadic crush known, possibly to prevent problems with their primary relationship or to avoid infidelity.

This finding is significant because it highlights the fact that attraction to other people, including those in close relationships, does not necessarily damage primary relationships or predict infidelity. It also highlights the importance of ongoing self-reflection and discussion within committed relationships to explore needs, wants, and boundaries.

The popularity of this drink is attributed to its simplicity and its ability to appeal to many different palates. It is available in a variety of crowd-pleasing fruity flavors such as Orange, Grape, Strawberry, Pineapple, Watermelon, Zero Sugar Orange, and Peach. It’s hard to say exactly what makes this drink so popular, but the secret seems to be in the ingredients. The mixologists at Portside Tavern in Canton and Harborside Kitchen & Bar in Baltimore use Smirnoff orange vodka and triple sec, along with fresh-squeezed orange juice from Florida or California.