Love at first sight: Is it myth or reality?
Got a feel' inside (can't
explain)
A certain kind (can't explain)
I feel hot-cold (can’t explain)
Way down my soul yeah
(can't explain)
The Who 1965
Charlie Simpson was sitting
in his sociology class, idly con
templating the evalution of
mankind. He glanced at the en
trance where all his fellow
students were rushing in to beat
the bell. Suddenly, there she
was.
"I immediately dropped my
pen,” Simpson recalled. “My
heartbeat went up really fast.
From that one moment, 1 wasn't
aware of anything else but her.”
According to some, what
Simpson experienced was love
at first sight (LAFS), a non
contagious disease that seems to
afflict those who are romantical
ly inclined.
Simpson himself believes
this, saying "it was the first
time I ever felt that way. She
walked into class and sat down.
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and I just stared at her for 40
minutes. I feel funny inside
whenever I’m around her.”
Simpson is not an isolated
victim of LAFS, nor is he alone
in describing “funny” feelings
Story by
Eric Bottjer
inside. “It feels like you’ve got
a food processor turned on right
here,” said 22-year-old Scott
Beadle, pointing at his chest.
OK, so now we know the
disease and its symptoms. You
see someone, and you feel “fun
ny” inside, maybe like a food
processor. You stare at this per
son. Perhaps you even drool a
little, or temporarily lose con
trol of your motor functions.
But doesn't this always hap
pen when one sees an attractive
member of the opposite sex?
Isn’t love at first sight (LAFS)
just your usual case of lust at
first sight (SEX)?
“No, it's different.’’ said
VVende Bnimmett, 18, a music
major. “It’s their personality,
the way they carry themselves
as well as their looks.”
Brummet describes her first
meeting with her boyfriend as
and a special friend.
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“love at first conversation. It
wasn’t exactly love at first sight,
but it only took a few minutes.”
Beadle said he has been smit
ten twice by LAFS. “And both
times 1 got the girl." he says.
From this revelation, we con
sider another possibility: LAFS
can strike a person more than
once.
University psychology Pro
fessor Norman Sundberg
believes this is indeed possible.
“As a person grows up. I think
they unconsciously develop a
set of values that attract them to
another person. For men, there
could be dozens of women who
possess these values, and vice
versa of course. Once in a
while, they happen to meet.”
More than a believer in LAFS,
Sundberg recalls being a victim
while attending the University
of Minnesota in the mid-1940s.
“It was a very important inci
dent in my life,’’ he
remembered. “I was waiting to
go into my statistics class when
1 saw her. It was quite a look we
exchanged, sort of like in the
movies."
Sundberg said he is still in
fatuated with the same woman.
“We've been married 38
years.” he smiled.
A happy ending to be sure,
but there is a dark side to LAP'S.
The odds of meeting one of your
dozen potential “perfect
mates" are mind boggling, con
sidering they are mixed in with
5 billion other, less desirable
humans.
Plus, even if you happen to
meet your dream mate, odds are
even longer he or she will go
gaga over you. You may be like
a contestant on Wheel of For
tune eyeing Vanna White,
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damned to an existence of look
but don’t touch
Others doubt the wisdom of
putting yourself through such
mental and physical torture.
They contend LAFS is a myth, a
figment of the romantic’s
imagination.
“I liken it to the ‘10’ syn
drome, where what’s-his-name
was obsessed with Bo Derek,”
said sixth-year senior Nick
Beres. “It’s based solely on
looks, which makes it a con
tradiction of terms. Love at first
sight is basically sex in
disguise.”
Psychology Professor Ray
Hyman offers a more profes
sional opinion. “Psychology
professors don’t know anything
about love,” he said. “You
need to go down the hall and
talk to Robert Mauro, who
teaches social psychology.”
“Sorry, don’t know a thing
about it.” Mauro said. “You
should go see Norm Sundberg.”
Sundberg, seeing I had en
countered a vicious circle, in
vited me to his Survey of Psych
Therapy class. “We’ll poll the
students and see what they
think,” he suggested.
Sundberg asked his class,
“How many of you believe in
love at first sight?” Nineteen
hands went up. “How many
believe it’s a myth?” Thirty-two
this time, with booing from the
minority. One person declined
to vote, saying. “It’s an am
biguous question.”
The “realists” had won, but
only by a split decision.
Having never experienced
LAFS, I had a mild curiosity
when starting the story. Now,
Turn to LAFS, Page 8B
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