I cry every single time I watch “Up.” Carl and Ellie’s heartwarming love at first sight story just gets me, and their tragic end really opens the floodgates. This idea of love is cheesy and a little overused. I don’t even care that Hallmark movies use the same love at first sight storyline, though, because it never gets old. I love watching those corny films because I just want an instant, all-encompassing love to exist. I want it so bad that I have genuine faith in love at first sight. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think it’s the only way to find love. Quite the contrary, I think it’s rarely the way people meet their spouses. I do believe, however, that this kind of love is out there, and some lucky people find their partners that way.
I know my fellow romantics don’t even need to read why I believe in it. But for the skeptics and pessimists still reading, I’ll try to tug at your heartstrings and help you understand love at first sight does exist.
I want this kind of love to be real. Some people might deem it an idea that belongs in movies or fairy tales, but I refuse to confine myself to a world without at least a little magic. Just the idea of it encourages me to notice and appreciate the people around me. I’m not afraid to admit that believing in that kind of love comforts me and helps me cope with our harsh, no-nonsense world.
My grandfather, who I call my papa, lights up when he tells us about meeting my grandma. He smugly sets up the scene: He was a young and handsome Marine. He was at a party with a blonde girl, but when he laid eyes on my grandmother, everyone else in the room vanished. My grandma was Italian. She had long, dark hair with bright, playful eyes. My papa pretended he didn’t know how to dance and asked my grandmother to teach him. Really, he just wanted to talk to her. My grandparents were married for almost 50 years before my grandmother died. There’s definitely a spot in my heart that hopes some couples today experience love at first sight like my grandparents. I can’t accept the extinction of that romance.
Beyond my emotional longing for love at first sight, though, I think its existence is logical. Urban legends, ghost stories and tall tales almost always stem from some scrap of truth. The same rule applies here. Something inspired the creation of this idea. Someone must have fallen in love immediately and shared their experience. Over time, it morphed and shaped itself into our present concept of this kind of love.
Scientists believe primal attraction instincts play a role in love at first sight, too. According to an article from The Washington Post, some scientists believe there may be a “biological basis” to the phenomenon. The article explains that romantic attraction may have evolved to assist in the human process of seeking out genetically compatible mates, according to animal studies. It also notes that studies indicate it takes only a few minutes to determine if someone’s partner material. I know this research doesn’t fully prove love at first sight exists, but the only way to prove its existence is to experience it yourself. According to The Washington Post, young people have been shown to be more likely to experience love at first sight. I hope you’ll able to show the skeptics the truth.
I know Valentine’s Day just passed, so a lot of people reading this might be sporting a slightly bitter #foreveralone attitude and scoffing at the idea of love at first sight. If love is what you’re after, don’t give up hope. Your love life could change in the blink of an eye.
Chasity Maynard is a UF journalism freshman. Her column appears on Fridays.
"Young couple and Kissing..." by Craig Allen, used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
