This risky romantic behavior could put you in serious danger, experts warn: ‘Red flags’
Are you lucky in love? Or just an emophiliac.
Emophilia is defined as “the tendency to fall in love fast and easily.”
The term, coined by psychologist Dr. Daniel Jones, describes those who “want” to be in love, driven by the excitement of making connections and the whirlwind of emotions that come with it.
Emophiliacs feel they “need” someone, often due to loneliness or anxiety — and they’ll rush right into a relationship, just to have that desire sated.
These love birds “seek the rush of romantic emotions, immediate romantic connections, and the rapid development of romantic love.”
Like other personality traits, emophilia is ranked on a scale — referred to as the Emotional Promiscuity Scale.
Most people fall in the middle, but some romantics fall hard “immediately or with little information about someone.”
While emophilia isn’t a medical issue, it can lead to risky behaviors and pose a threat to people’s health as those fueled by a love potion of cognitive, emotional, and biological factors that lead to impulsive decisions focus on immediate gratification rather than future planning — though they may already be picking out china patterns.
These repeat romantics have been found to be more susceptible to worrisome acts, including infidelity, unsafe sex and perjury.
A study recently published in Frontiers in Psychology found that those with high emophilia are unfaithful more often than those with different romantic tendencies.
“Their excitement, rush of attraction, and fast connections don’t turn off once they get into a relationship. Because they have a lower minimum threshold for excitement and connections, it makes them an infidelity risk,” Dr. Jones, who was not involved in the aforementioned study, told The Times.
Studies have also shown that those who rank high on the emophilia scale tend to rack up more partners and have unsafe sex — who wants to let a little latex get in the way of a passionate connection?
People with the character trait are also more willing to bend the truth and “cover” for their partner even if they’ve only known them for a short time.
Dr. Jones advises risky romantics to search for red flags and consider potential partners who seem “boring” to them.
“Those who sell themselves well on initial dates and are smooth and charming sometimes have an agenda and will use that rush of excitement for later exploitation. Red flags for more harmful behavior should be much more compromising than red flags due to boringness.”
He also suggests seeking advice and opinions from trusted family and friends — or even a professional.
“Remember that emotions and excitement can be easily manipulated, but trust and companionship should not be rushed into, and a good foundation is critical for a realistic chance to have a relationship work,” he said.
