Too Fast, Too Soon: What Is Emophilia?

I fall in love too easily. I fall in love too fast.
The immortal words of Chet Baker rings true for many folks today. It could even be you, as you wonder why you go in and out of relationships; giving your heart to those who don’t deserve it. As you continue wondering, turn your attention first to the right question: what is emophilia?
Emophilia Defined
This particular term describes the tendency of falling in love easily, swiftly, and repetitively. People who have this tendency jump from intense relationship after intense relationship. If we’re going to pick the specific behaviors apart, it isn’t uncommon to see the following:
- Spending an almost excessive amount of time with a new romantic partner
- Committing to someone new not too long after a breakup
- Professing love as soon as possible into a new relationship
In more extreme circumstances, there are even those who feel as if they are in love with more than a single person simultaneously. If any of the above describes you or someone you know, then at least you now know there’s a term for your tendencies.
Why Does Emophilia Occur?
There are various theories why people may lean towards this tendency. From a biological outlook, one of the clearest ones is due to low serotonin levels in the brain. In addition to causing anxiety and impulsiveness, this allows some individuals to fall faster and easier compared to others.
Then, there is the theory that some people simply have a hypersensitivity towards oxytocin, which is a stress and bonding hormone. Another theory put forward is the imbalance of dopamine in some people’s brains, which can cause them to obsess over whoever it is that may have caught their eye.
Because emophilia is still a fairly unexplored concept scientifically, the jury is still out for most theories.
The Dangers of Emophilia
In theory, falling in love seems like a very good thing to experience given all of those feelings of excitement and infatuation. However, there are very real dangers that come with this happening as often as it does for emophiliacs.
First, there is the frequent risk of heartbreak. Going in and out of relationships inevitably leads to this. Even if the person seems to bounce back fairly well, it looks to be an exhausting experience for everyone involved. On an extreme level, this also means that dating someone with emophilia may lead to numerous marriages and divorces.
Then, there is the risk of falling in love with potentially dangerous people. Dating those with potentially psychotic, narcissistic, or machiavellian individuals are not likely to end well, especially for those who are quite emotionally vulnerable.
We can also draw the conclusion that emophilia can be rather disruptive within the confines of healthy relationships. Falling in love easily with multiple people may lead not just to emotional cheating, but also physical cheating.
As fun as it may seem to fall in love, there are also clear pitfalls that one would not want to fall into. Hopefully asking the question of what is emophilia has proven to be an enlightening experience.
If possible, we can just stick to the love songs from here on out.