Yes and no, according to experts — ultimately, it all comes down to how that relationship ended and how content you are in your current life. Experts say there are lots of valid reasons why a first love can be difficult to move on from. For one, you tend to go all in when your heart hasn't already been broken before.
It's possible to still be in love with your first love years later. However, it's important to realize that love isn't always enough to have a healthy and fulfilling relationship. It's possible to love someone and still realize that a relationship may not be the best decision for you.
Although your first love may be difficult to forget, it doesn't necessarily mean it's the only true love you'll ever experience.
Multiple studies have confirmed our brains experience something very much like an addiction when we're in love. The first time may be the most important because it's the foundation. Most likely, you experienced this foundation of love during a time (adolescence) when your brain was still developing.
However, according to Davis, first love isn't going to be the best or deepest love. It is because of the intensity of the first love that could translate someone a feeling that they loved that person more in their memory.
Your second love is better because you've learned from your mistakes. From big to small stuff, your first relationship will have taught you what made you screwed up and you'll be able to realize what battles are worth fighting for.
The real truth is no one will forget ANY OF THEIR LOVE, even the painful one that they want to forget. It's part of your life, your experience, your stories that makes you who you are.
Guys don't ever completely let go of "that girl." It's not because we don't want to -- we do; we just can't seem to. This doesn't really differ between men. The only thing that differs is the level of love that one has experienced. Some guys have never even experienced love, yet are convinced they have.
Dr David Nias, a clinical psychologist at the University of London, believes that first love is more likely to be a lifelong attachment because we have the equivalent of imprinting in our first romantic relationship. He says, "The first encounter has extra excitement and leaves a lasting impression.
No matter how old they were when they reunited and no matter how many romances they had had during their lives, 62% of the participants reported that they chose to reunite with their first loves.
While 40% of people marry their first love, reunited or not, only 4% have a happy ending after reuniting. Additionally, 62% of couples who have reunited with their first loves believe that it led to a better relationship while 50% eventually break up again.
There is nothing wrong with a second-best, secondhand, or last love. Each of these loving relationships can be of great value. Thus, while a first love is unforgettable, a last love typically continues longer.
“But I still look at her and see the 16-year-old that I remember.” Kalish says her research has found that when both parties to a first love are truly available when they reunite — either single, widowed or divorced — the relationships have a 70 percent success rate.
First love is characterized by idealism, innocence, emotional connection, reciprocal involvement, orientation to the future, and desire for a pervasive presence of the loved one.
A first love is significant for so many reasons. When you've never experienced deep romantic feelings for someone before, everything feels heightened, overwhelming, and new. “Your first love is mostly a projection of the vast reality of love that is inside you already,” explains breakup expert Kate Galt.
For many men, this first love is also the first time they have been in the sort of relationship where they are asked to make a series of compromises. More accurately, it may be the first time they really wanted to make those compromises, because they valued the relationship.
They may continue to love and care deeply about their former partners, though those feelings are no longer tied up with wanting to continue dating. As long as you wholeheartedly accept that the relationship is over and are actively moving on with your life, you can still maintain a friendship with an ex you love.
Your first love may indeed be hard to forget, but this doesn't mean that it is the most profound love you will experience. A last love can achieve greater profundity, as a lover who has developed through past relationships knows himself or herself better and knows what partner is most suitable.
It turns out there's some science to back up my hard-earned (and real life) conclusions. A recent study found that while break-ups take a more immediate emotional toll on women, men often "never fully recover — they simply move on." I consulted a few mental health and relationship experts to learn more.
The truth is that it typically takes men longer to get over a breakup than women, Carol says: "It can take some men years—or even decades...if they truly loved her. They just don't show their grief to others—or even to themselves."
Men May Fall In Love First
A recent study in the Journal of Social Psychology surveyed 172 college students, finding that men reported falling in love faster than women and professed their passion earlier in relationships than their female counterparts.
Falling In Love the 1st Time: The Love that Looks Right
It's been said that we really only fall in love with three people in our lifetime. Yet, it's also believed that we need each of these loves for a different reason. Often our first is when we are young, in high school even.
Feeling sentimental over a first love is totally normal, Dr. Jennifer Rhodes tells Elite Daily. “One, it is the first experience with disappointment in the love department, and this can be devastating.
It's possible to stop loving someone, but when you truly loved them on a deep level, you will only stop being in love with them, but you'll always love them. That's actually the beautiful thing about strong, healthy relationships.