It’s not uncommon for people to confuse a crush for true love, as they can bear a lot of resemblance at first.
But it’s crucial to note that there’s, in fact, a major difference between crush and love.
Temporary infatuation (aka a crush) presupposes a strong attraction and a physical connection, while love carries a deep affection and long-lasting romantic feelings. Want to know what else? Keep reading!
I bring you the ultimate crush vs love guide.
Which one makes you feel calm and grounded, and which one shakes you up?
Let’s delve into the intricacies of real love, deep connections, passionate roller coasters, and fairy tale love stories!
See also: What Does PDA Stand For And Its Importance In A Relationship
Crush Vs Love – What’s The Difference?
1. Crush happens in an instant, while love takes time to develop
When you’re infatuated with someone, you start obsessing over their mere existence and develop a strong crush based on unattainable desires.
When it’s love, it’s a slow, peaceful process that allows you to feel a greater bond with each passing day. Love doesn’t happen in a day, it takes time to grow.
2. A crush can be a rollercoaster ride, while love is soothing
Infatuation and crush often go hand in hand, as the latter is basically a short-lived, yet strong infatuation that tends to go away in a couple of months‘ time.
So it’s no surprise that those months can be a real whirlwind of emotions.
But love calms you, soothes you, and comforts you. It’s on the other end of the emotional spectrum that brings you serenity.
3. A crush is based on a physical connection, while love carries a deeper bond
Crushing on someone is usually due to their physical attributes that you’re drawn to inexplicably. Seldom is there an emotionally fueled connection.
But true love is based on a bond that transcends the physical.
When you’re attracted to their intellect as much as their body, you can say that you’re experiencing genuine love.
4. A crush plays with your head, whereas love gives you reassurance
When you’re experiencing a strong crush, you may start acting like you normally wouldn’t. You become a more intense version of yourself.
But with love, you feel a strong sense of reassurance that everything is just the way it’s supposed to be.
5. A crush withers within weeks, while love remains long-lasting
How do you know it’s just a crush? If you can completely erase them from your head in a month or two, and you remain unaffected.
On the other hand, love stays with you. It cannot just be replaced, no matter how hard you want it to.
Love is about longevity; crushes are short-lived.
See also: 120 Toxic People Quotes To Help You Set Boundaries And Detox
6. A crush is based on a false sense of connection, while love is genuine
With crushes, there is no genuine basis for how you’re feeling.
It’s mostly superficial and shallow, no matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise.
Love is genuine, deep, and very much real. The only thing you want out of a crush is a physical manifestation of love. And that in itself is facile and simplistic.
7. A crush is exhausting, while love is invigorating
A crush can drain you mentally and physically. It’s exhausting and tough to withstand at times. It can pull the rug from under you and put you through hell.
Love gives you energy.
Love fulfills you.
Love gives you the push to go forward when a crush leaves you hanging.
Love is the fuel that propels you to move on and persevere.
8. A crush is selfish, while love forgives
As I’ve already established, when you’re experiencing a crush, there is not much room for meaning and forgiveness.
It’s a feeling of infatuation and there is rarely reciprocity.
But love forgives! Love makes mistakes, but there is always room for forgiveness and second chances. Love leaves room for error and it doesn’t judge.
9. A crush gives you a temporary fix, love gives you a best friend
When experiencing a crush, there is rarely a deeper personal gain.
Mostly, it’s an unattainable fixation that leaves you empty-handed.
But love gives you a best friend! With true love, every single day always feels like you’ve just won the lottery.
10. A crush doesn’t allow growth, but love makes you a better person
When has a crush ever made you feel like you’re growing as a person?
When have you ever experienced a sense of maturity and in-depth knowledge with a crush?
Love, however, makes you grow and evolve as a human being.
It simply makes you want to be better and do better. And, in turn, you slowly start becoming a kinder, more sympathetic human being.
11. A crush sweats the small stuff, but love doesn’t pay them any mind
With a crush, there is a tendency to make a big deal out of the smallest issue. Any little thing can rattle you with such ease.
Love simply lets it go. Why? Because when you’re in love, you can see the big picture.
The small stuff is just a part of life. We all have our quirks and love embraces them!
12. A crush is possessive, while love is understanding and tolerant
A crush is selfish in its nature. It devours you and possesses you. It makes you feel overwhelmed and stuck.
But love understands. Love is tolerating. Love is full of generosity and serenity. It doesn’t possess you, it liberates you!
See also: How To Make Your Ex Want You Back: 10 Methods That Really Work
13. A crush is amazing in your head, but love is amazing in real life
Crushing on someone is often isolating. You develop intense feelings that make you feel like this is your first time liking someone.
It’s amazing in your head, but in reality, you know it’s not likely to last.
But love is all kinds of amazing in real life. You can share it, feel it, and embrace it. It’s simply real!
14. A crush leaves you with questions, but love answers them all
Do they like me back? Am I being too pushy? Will I chase them away? How long has it been since I last texted them? Is it too soon to call them back? Should I change my hair?
These are all questions that plague you while you’re experiencing a deep crush.
There’s an almost palpable dose of uncertainty that makes you go mad. But with love, you already know all the answers!
15. A crush is petty, while love is open-minded
A crush holds grudges. It doesn’t leave room for errors. It judges and it diminishes. But love?
It’s open-minded and liberal. It’s comfortable, soothing, and your safe haven.
It’s the feeling of knowing you’re going to be okay even though you messed up.
16. A crush is shaky, but love is solid and secure
With a crush, you never know where you stand. One day you’re feeling up, the next you’re all the way down.
It plays with your mind and makes you question it all.
Love doesn’t play with your mind the way a crush does.
Love is solid and firm.
Love doesn’t make you feel like you’re losing sight of yourself, because love is the thing that makes you feel like your best self.
17. A crush requires physical closeness, while love can go the distance
Being infatuated makes you never want to lose sight of them.
Why? Because you’re deeply scared of losing them.
Love, on the other hand, makes you feel completely safe and secure no matter the distance.
You can be two feet apart or on opposite continents, and you’ll still feel the bond.
See also: Sad Love Status: 135 Heart-Touching WhatsApp Status Ideas
18. A crush grows from desire, while love grows from an emotional bond
If you’re feeling a strong desire and you just want to rip their clothes off, it’s likely a crush based on a mad infatuation.
But if your feelings have evolved from an emotional and intellectual bond that has forged a deep connection, it’s true love.
19. A crush makes you live in a bubble, while love becomes a part of your life
We’ve all experienced major cases of feeling not like ourselves.
The way only a crush can make you feel. You lose all sense of your world because all you can think about is them.
But love is a slow integration that simply falls into place and it’s like it was always an integral part of your world.
When real love knocks on your door, it organically finds a place in your world.
20. A crush leaves you jaded, while love teaches you valuable lessons
Whether your crush is actualized or not, it rarely leaves you any different than you were prior to it. At the end of a crush, there is no personal development and no lessons learned.
But love teaches you lessons you never knew you could learn.
Whether it’s a fairy tale romance or if it’s run its course, you always learn something. And that makes all the difference.
21. A crush moves on from person to person, but love is faithful to only one
A crush can easily go away and move to someone new. And most of the time, you forget all about them the minute you’ve moved on. They aren’t engraved in your mind.
But love is monogamous. Love doesn’t make you want to find someone new.
It makes you want to be faithful to that one special person. And you don’t want to lose them, as they are precious.
22. A crush seeks perfection, but love knows better than that
A crush is an obsession focused on finding a perfect specimen.
It’s dedicating a small chunk of your life to idealizing them in an unhealthy manner. It rarely lives up to your expectations.
Love knows that perfection doesn’t exist, and it doesn’t care. When you’re in love, it’s fine to be messy and weird.
Love is far from perfect, but the thing with love is – it never stops trying!
See also: How To Get Your Crush To Like You Back: 15 Steps To Success
Simply Put…
Love is serenity upon seeing your person. Love is the will to persevere in the face of insurmountable obstacles.
A crush is easy to let go, as it doesn’t stand on solid ground to begin with.
Love makes you want to push forward and pick yourself up when a crush knocks you down.
With love, there is no insecurity, judging, or second-guessing. Love is genuine and reassuring, while a crush makes you go through a whirlwind of emotions.
Love knows that perfection doesn’t exist but it doesn’t matter. It grows, evolves, keeps trying and never falters.
A crush fades away even faster than it crept up. And that’s what I ultimately believe to be the biggest difference between crush and love.
Love fights tooth and nail, while a crush leaves you in the dust.
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