INFATUATION vs. LOVE

Love and Infatuation are both intense emotions that one feels for another person. These feelings are most often confused for each other by many people. But the two feelings differ in their actuality of love, intensity and final outcome.

Infatuation according to Wikipedia, is the state of being completely carried away by unreasoning passion or love; addictive love. Infatuation usually occurs at the beginning of relationship when sexual attraction is central. Love can be described as feeling of intense affection for another person. It is most often talked about as an emotion between two persons. Hence is also sometimes referred to as interpersonal love.

Symptoms of love vs. infatuation
The foremost symptom of being infatuated by a person is wanting to be around that person. This may sometimes also be sexual desire. Other symptoms may be anxiety, panic, jealousy etc. Love, on the other hand, may start with an infatuation or lust and then become love. Symptoms of love are emotional attachment with someone, a feeling of anxiety, affection.

Differences in Attributes
Love can happen without conscious intention and hence pure love doesn't expect anything in return. Infatuation, though, comes with a feeling of passion. It may start with physical attraction and may render excitement to be around a person. Love comes with passion as well as intimacy. Love is also tolerant and forgiving while Infatuation may invoke jealousy. Infatuation induces impatience while Love is patient.

Reasons people fall in love or be infatuated
There may or may not be any reason to fall in love. It comes with mixed emotions and may be caused by physical attraction, intellectual and emotional compatibility. Infatuation, on the other hand, may start with physical attraction and gives a feeling of being in love.

Differences in Feelings
Infatuation feels like being in love but it is not. The intensity of the emotion is strong but not pure enough like love.

Love is the quiet understanding and mature acceptance of imperfection. Love is always associated with connection between two souls that goes beyond the self. Infatuation may make the other person selfish if the opposite person's reaction isn't the same. Infatuation isn't pure like love and may be accompanied by lust. It goes about thinking about oneself and not the other person.

Differences in effects of separation
Infatuation is weakened by time and separation where real love is strengthened by time and separation. Separation in both emotions causes great pain but infatuation may get weak and cause the feeling to lessen over time. Love develops more with time and separation.
Commitment in love vs. infatuation

While true and pure love between two people can develop into long term commitment, infatuation may only in very few cases lead to any commitment. True love induces a feeling of commitment towards the other person while infatuation doesn't make one feel committed towards the opposite person.

Age as a factor
Infatuation is generally in the context of teenage or adolescence. There is generally no age associated with love. Anyone can be in love at any age, but most love stories before the age of 18 is considered infatuation or "puppy love".