A crush is a person you feel intensely, often inexplicably, for. It can be a celebrity, someone you work with, or even your best friend. The emotion can make you blush, tremble, and have a racing heartbeat. It is usually accompanied by obsessive thoughts and behaviors. Having a crush can be scary, but it can also be very rewarding.
While a crush is different from love, there are some similarities. Both a crush and love involve the release of hormones like dopamine and oxytocin in your brain, Stephanie Cacioppo, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at The University of Chicago, told INSIDER. These hormones can cause you to have a butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling, increase your blood pressure, and suppress your normal hunger and sleep cues, Cacioppo said.
Crushes are often rooted in fantasy and tend to happen when you don’t know much about a person, New York City-based therapist Bukky Kolawole told INSIDER. You may idealize the person and see them as perfect in every way. A crush is also often unrequited and can lead to feelings of insecurity. This can make it difficult to focus on other things in life, like your job or hobbies, and can also make you anxious about your future.
Having a crush can also make you feel overwhelmed by all the emotions it stirs up, making it hard to think clearly. It can be easy to get carried away with your emotions and end up saying or doing something you regret. It’s important to take a step back from your feelings and be realistic about the situation. You can do this by journaling, listening to Taylor Swift on repeat, or just taking it one day at a time.
When you are having a crush, it is important to be careful about who you tell. If you tell too many people about your crush, they may feel creeped out or start to suspect that you have a relationship with them. You should only tell trusted friends about your feelings. It’s also a good idea to talk about your feelings with your crush, but don’t force it if they don’t want to talk about it.
Crush is a complicated emotion, but it can be very rewarding when it is handled appropriately. It’s important to remember that a crush is not necessarily a sign of true love, but it can be an opportunity to learn more about yourself and what you want in a partner. If you find that your crush is not right for you, it’s okay to let them go. Just be sure to give yourself time to recover before starting a new crush!