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If you ask me... based on what I've seen, infatuation lasts about as long as an active MDMA run. You can burn yourself out in a month—same thing happens with a partner. But if you're careful with the dosage, it can easily stretch to a year... though eventually, even MDMA loses its spark. Why do I say that? Because it mimics infatuation perfectly by hitting those same neural pathways. Back in the day, MDMA was actually used for couples where the initial spark had died out. Love was there, sure, but the passion was gone—even in marriage! They used MDMA to reignite that feeling. That all continued right up until 1985, when the US government finally banned it.
hiddenhound3 said:Well, I suppose... if memory serves, he used to link those anima/animus archetypes directly back to our parents. Specifically, Jung noted that he recognized his own anima in a woman who possessed a neck and hair remarkably similar to his mother's. It follows, then, that we inevitably recognize something familiar from our past experiences when we fall in love with someone else.
I believe it is vital to understand how we all essentially reflect one another; when we fall for another person, we are, in truth, falling for ourselves and the collection of memories we carry.
Perhaps I am being a bit too romantic about the whole thing, but that is simply my perspective.
I have been in love for a year now, and I see no end in sight.😍 In fact, everything just feels more intense.😁
Good sex can definitely extend the honeymoon phase... or at least make it feel like an addiction to the person. Hmm... I should probably dig deeper into how love floods the brain beyond just the oxytocin. But briefly: it's an addiction. P.S. Am I off base here, but when women have great sex, they tend to stick around... no matter how much of a mess the guy is. Or is that just a myth?
wiredcrane11 said:There isn't really one definitive answer to this, but I think it's worth having a little discussion about it🙂
For instance, I remember watching a TV special a year or two ago—I can't recall the exact title—where they discussed oxytocin. It’s that hormone our brains release when we fall in love, providing us with the kind of energy that, given the right circumstances, drives us to build a family. People often refer to it as the loyalty hormone.🙂It also gets released during breastfeeding because there are direct neural pathways from the breast to the brain where oxytocin is produced. That explains why mothers feel such an intense bond with their babies and why they light up so much just seeing a baby smile.😁In that same program, they mentioned that the initial phase of being "in love" typically lasts about three years. After that point, other factors take over, and if a marriage survives, it means either that the infatuation successfully transitioned into deep love, or the couple found a different common ground, such as financial stability, raising children, or perhaps even complementary psychological dynamics like BDSM.😁
Well, that is one way to look at it. Another perspective comes from Jung's theories regarding the projection of the anima or animus onto a partner. Once those projections fade, that blissful intoxication tapers off because you finally start seeing the person for who they truly are. The outcome follows the same logic as the previous paragraph.🙂
If you have recently read anything by other psychologists or authors regarding the nature of falling in love, please share... or just tell me about your own experiences.🙂
Infatuation can actually be extended. There are interesting ways to trigger oxytocin again—basically, falling in love all over again with someone you once felt that way about. Not "love"... specifically the infatuation part.