“Romantic attraction is an emotional response of 1 individual in the direction of one other, which will be described as a craving to admire and be part of with them,” says therapist Christa McCrorie, LICSW-PIP.
Whereas romantic attraction is completely different for everybody, many individuals will expertise emotions of wanting to guard and supply for one more individual, wanting to maintain them cared for, having fun with their firm, and eager to tackle a job of accountability in sustaining that individual’s happiness, she notes.
Some individuals see their romantic orientation—that’s, how they expertise romantic attraction and for whom—as part of their id separate from their sexual orientation. For instance, somebody will be homoromantic and bisexual, which implies they’re solely romantically interested in individuals who share their gender however they do expertise sexual attraction to individuals of multiple gender. Those that expertise little to no romantic attraction for others could also be known as aromantic.
Not all relationships want romantic attraction. Nonetheless, in wholesome relationships the place romantic attraction is current, it serves as a pressure that pushes companions to repeatedly be intrigued and fascinated with one another with compassion, appearing because the glue to maintain the connection linked at the same time as companions and the atmosphere inevitably change, says McCrorie.