You’re not yourself around them
One surefire sign that you’re experiencing a passing crush rather than lasting feelings is that you’re not yourself around the object of your affection. If you really wanted to build a life with someone, you’d want to be sure that they loved you for you. So if you have claimed to be super into biking when actually you prefer a night on the couch, it’s probably a crush.
You feel giggly and nervous
When you meet a soulmate, they make you feel safe, secure and comfortable almost instantly. Even if you feel excitable and have butterflies in your stomach, something tells you that there’s actually no need to be nervous. So if you’ve got the giggles and your heart races so much before seeing them that it’s actually terrifying, it’s definitely just a crush.
You want to impress them
One of the best parts about meeting your other half is that there’s no pressure to impress them. Things click instantly, and soon you’re convinced that they’ll never judge your bed hair, your habit of eating dry cereal out of the box or your love of terrible action movies. If you want to make yourself seem more polished and accomplished, then it might just be a crush.
You ignore their flaws
When you’re in the midst of a new flirtation, it’s normal to have rose-coloured glasses on, at least a little bit. With that said, if you consistently overlook the flaws of the person you’re chasing, even when they’re obvious to all your friends, it’s probably just a crush. If there were real feelings, you’d see their flaws as part of the complete package.
In your fantasies, you never get serious
Your daydreams and fantasies are a direct portal to your subconscious and, as a result, they can tell you what you really want. If in your dreams, you’re marrying, settling down with someone or otherwise building a life with them, there could be real feelings involved. If it’s all candlelit dinners and frolicking on the beach, it’s probably just a crush.
You don’t know much about them
It’s possible to have an instant attraction to or connection with someone for sure, but real feelings require actually getting to know the person. If you’ve only met them in passing and don’t actually know their likes, dislikes, priorities or humour, then at the minute what you’re experiencing is just a crush, even if it could theoretically develop into something more.
Your friends keep saying “it will pass”
When it comes to making romantic decisions, your friends can be a hugely valuable resource in keeping you grounded and on the right path. If your pals know about your new feelings and keep saying things like “It will pass” or “Let’s just see what happens”, then they probably know from experience that what you’re dealing with is a fleeting crush.
You’re mostly just into their looks
As the old adage goes, beauty is only skin deep. Meaning that if your feelings are only based on someone’s looks, but you have no idea what lies beneath them, what you’re experiencing is definitely a crush and not love at first sight. More than that, if what you know about their personality isn’t attractive to you, then your crush has a limited shelf life.
You’re actually afraid to date them
Whether or not you actually want to date the person you’re interested in is one of the most under-discussed signs of a crush versus love. When you’re crushing on someone, it’s normal to like the fluttery feelings so much that you almost don’t want to get to know the person better and start a relationship, you’d rather just stay in the butterfly phase.
Deep down you know you’re not compatible
At the end of the day, no relationship can work without compatibility. If you know in your heart of hearts that you and the person you’re interested in would never work due to different goals, lifestyles or priorities, then you’re likely staying in the crush phase on purpose to avoid dealing with the disappointment of moving on.
