Limerence: when a crush becomes an all-consuming obsession
An in-depth look at limerence—the involuntary, often obsessive longing for another person that can feel like a natural high but disrupts sleep, eating, and daily life. Not a formal diagnosis, limerence hinges on uncertainty and a “glimmer” of reciprocation, and research links it to attachment styles rather than just infatuation or romantic love. The piece contrasts limerence with ordinary love, notes its potential to become harmful (including stalking) if unmanaged, and follows neuroscientist Tom Bellamy’s limerent episode and his eventual shift toward healthy love after cutting contact with the object of his longing.
