“Men are pigs”, you say, stuffing your face with ice-cream to fill the empty hole of rejection and betrayal. Any relationship is difficult to maintain, but a romantic relationship between a man and a woman is even more so. Why is this?
While love is a feeling experienced identically, the act of falling in love involves two entirely different processes for each sex. In the case of men there are seven particular steps men follow for falling in love. The first step:
- Appreciation: Appreciation is by far the most common. It’s the act of checking someone out; focusing on the physical appearance of a potential mate. Physical appearance is not the most important factor, yet a condition of a man’s individual preferences must be met.
- Infatuation: The second stage infatuation involves a need to seduce the target love interest. Traditional methods involve asking the interest out on a date, while alternative methods may be based on shared interests and hobbies. If he’s rejected in this pursuit the man will most likely lose interest.
- Attraction: The third stage is attraction. Where the pursued love interest reciprocates interest in him, heartbreak isn’t as difficult to deal with before this point as vulnerability hasn’t built up yet. This is the stage where he attempts to get to know the love interest on a deeper level. A more intense relationship requires both parties to reveal more about one another.
- Impression: Impression the fourth stage, is simply an enhanced version of the previous stage. The potential mate becomes an obsession to the man attempting to get their attention in any way, shape, or form, from buying gifts, to showing how fun he can be. Regardless of these obsessive signs he is still not in love.
- Conviction: Conviction is the fifth stage, yet it is far more flexible than the other steps spanning from stages two to four. This is the stage where the man asks himself whether or not he can see himself with the interest in the far future. Considering how difficult it is for the man to establish if the relationship should become more than it is now. This is a background overlying phase yet it needs to be completed in order to reach stage 6.
- Reaffirmation: Reaffirmation is the sixth stage where the man has successfully met his goal of seducing the love interest. Only when the potential mate is in this state will he seriously consider whether or not he wants to have an extreme long-term relationship. The man needs space in this stage, in some cases he could disappear to weigh the pros and cons. If both parties agree the final stage, commitment is achieved.
- Commitment: Both parties will be committed to the relationship at this point, and considering this is the seventh stage, yes, the man is finally in love. It is important to understand regardless of gender to learn how to love and often this involves falling in love.
Hopefully, with these tips you found an easier path to understanding how romance works in the mind of a typical man. Males can be fickle, but if you’re into that, keep these steps in mind. You’ll be ahead of those who think they know how love works and maybe you’ll save yourself a few pints of ice cream as well.