When it comes to stories about love at first sight, some of them can seem so unreal, like something you would read in a fairy tale or watch in a movie. Whether love at first sight is really possible, is open for interpretation. 

Most people choose to believe in it or not based on their own experiences; it seems that everyone has their own stories that they can relate to the question. Some people really do have those magical stories, and others feel it could happen, even though it hasn’t happened to them yet. But can you really fall in love with someone you’ve just met? And more importantly, do those feelings lead to a happy and healthy relationship?

According to Brides.com, 56 percent of Americans believe in love at first sight. The percentage is even higher for those people who are married or in a relationship, as 34 percent of people claim they have experienced love at first sight, according to CBS News. Previous research cited by CBS News on the topic has found that people tend to decide if they are romantically interested in a person within moments of meeting them. This decision is made by a mix of physical and psychological feelings they have from just a first glance. From a survey of fellow Falcons here at RHS, 13 out of 15 did believe in love at first sight. 

“There can be someone in this world that you fall in love with immediately, and it can be for many reasons such as looks, personality, and behavior,” said a fellow freshman. 

Everyone has their own qualities and traits that they look for when they notice people. For some, that can be facial features, and for others it can be other physical traits like height or style. However, personality is one of the most important things when it comes to being interested in someone. All of the Falcons surveyed, respondents said that personality is one of the top priorities when getting to know someone, which was the basis for those who didn’t believe in love at first sight.  

“I don’t think love at first sight exists, because you have to get to know the person before you know if you really love them,” said Freshman Amelia Bohn.

Love at first sight has its downfalls; after all, it’s possible to look at someone and fall in love but have those feelings change after getting to know them. 

“Yes, you could see someone for the first time and fall for them, but then when it comes down to talking to that person, you may end up not liking them after all,” a sophomore said.

Although it seems weird, even the direct opposite can happen in love.  For some, personality is the first thing they consider in a person instead of physical appearance.  

“I think love at first sight is real, but most of the time, you just get noticed based on how you look, so I think it can happen, but it’s very rare,” said senior Brendan Turner. 

There is one factor that almost always needs to be present for this instant love to occur, and that’s physical attraction. According to a study published in 2017, people are much more likely to fall in love with someone they are physically attracted to. In fact, the study also found that when someone was physically attracted to another, they were nine times more likely to report love at first sight. However, this may also suggest that a majority of people who have reported to experience love at first sight are actually only experiencing feelings of lust and not true love. Although the two words have their similarities, they mean two different things and are easily confused. 

According to psychologists Simone Humphrey and Signe Simon, these two feelings activate similar neural pathways in the brain that are involved in view of the self, goal-directed behavior, happiness, reward, and addiction. So when it comes to love at first sight, one needs to take into consideration more than just physical looks.

A common reason people tend to believe in love at first sight is that they believe they see it in other people.

“I think love at first sight can happen. My grandparents fell in love one night. They met at a roller skating rink, skated all night with each other, and six months later they were married,” said fellow teacher Mr. Miesch. 

“My mom and her boyfriend experienced love at first sight. They are inseparable and are just such an amazing couple. My mom has told me about how it’s just so easy to fall in love with him,” said freshman Samantha Dick.

Love can be such a magical thing. As for it happening at first sight, it’s rare, but not impossible. So if you’re the romantic type, don’t stop believing!