To answer the controversial question of How Long Does a Crush Last, we have to first define the term crush.
According to Wikipedia, crush, also referred to as puppy love is an informal term for feelings of romantic love, often felt during childhood and adolescence.
Truth is, crush is more of a fantasy because they are feelings developed for someone without really knowing them. However, if it persists, it could be the birth of a romantic love.
“How long does a crush last?” is more than just a rhetorical question no matter how cliché it may sound as a result of its overuse over the years.
The question has been asked by teenagers, adolescents, students, busy bees and people from every race and walk of life.
Based on a recent research on attraction psychology, it is proven that a crush can last for a maximum of four months. Nonetheless, to determine how long can a crush last; there are a lot of factors to consider.
Stages of Crush
#1. You start noticing them.
As funny as it may seem, a crush is not something that just strike you or a viral you just get upon contact.
You have to first notice the person, observe him or her — mannerisms, mode of interaction, friends — closely before the feeling starts to creep in on you.
If the person from your observations is in a relationship, that should terminate the feeling but if he or she is single, the crush might grow into the second stage.
#2. Interplay
This second stage is all about interaction.
This is the part where you try to get them to notice you. If you observed them very well during the first stage, you tend to know what approach to use at this stage.
You have a sense of understanding of what his or her hobbies are and can deploy it by participating and contributing to conversations revolving around them.
If you still ask: how long does a crush last? The answer is in the stages involved. A crush lasts through the stages involved.
#3. Enticement
If you follow through with the stages of a crush, you’ll at some point get to this stage.
This is the stage where you ask him/her out.
If you had done a good job at the second stage, the conversations must have left a hint that you are interested in being a friend or something more.
He or she has gone beyond just noticing you, you have had more than a few conversation regarding a shared interest and it is time to go beyond that.
You and your crush get to know each other better and you get to ask them out.
The third stage can as well double as the last stage.
Why? This is because you can decide to go through the second and third stage, that is trying again if your crush doesn’t acknowledge your existence.
And/Or you can decide to let go after the trial.
To let go of a crush could be hurtful, however, the first thing you will need to do is think about why you like them in the first place. This exercise will help you realize that you didn’t know them to begin with, which is a good footing.
That way, you can treat it like a break-up even though you were never dating them. You were emotionally attached and hence would need time to grieve.
Also, maintaining distance — even on social media — would be helpful.
“How long does a crush last?”
There is no said time. You might never pass the first stage or you could spend months or years in a particular stage.
There is no manual detailing how long you should spend in any stage.
Moreover, some factors can contribute to how long you can crush on someone, and relationship guru and author Jane Greer, opines that if the feelings are never transformed into a connection, then there is a possibility for a crush to never come to an end.
In contrast to a crush, love is a complete emotional attachment and development of a connection as you start to spend more time with each other.
Love is bound to outlive a crush.
In summary— and to the question: how long does a crush last? —crushes don’t have a set time limit
A crush might die a natural death in a week, or it still might be holding strong a decade later.
The number one thing that determines whether a crush ends or not is whether you acts on it.
The second determining factors is whether you go ahead to meet someone else.
If you never act on a crush, and never meet anyone else, that crush can just go on and on, grow deep-seated and probably become obsessive.
If you act on a crush, and something happens, that can end the crush. You might realize that the attraction isn’t mutual which could out an end to it. Or you get to know him/her better and discover that he/she is short of your imagination. That, too, might end it.
Read Also: What Makes Love Fade: Relationship Dynamics
Dating expert, Chris Pleines stated in an article published by UpJourney that a crush can last for hours or a lifetime.
“From personal and clinical experiences, I’ve found that a crush can last for hours, or it can also last a lifetime. When a crush is based on physical factors alone—such as attractiveness or passionate sex—the crush may fade more quickly if factors such as negative lifestyle habits or toxic personality characteristics surface.
However, if a crush is based on emotional attraction—which may also include physical factors—the crush is likely to be more long-lasting. In situations where a romantic partner is seen and adored for who they genuinely are, ‘I have a crush’ surges may never end.”
He asserted.
With these points and assertions from and by renowned experts in the field, the question “how long does a crush last?” has received a durable and tangible answer.
