{"id":2648769,"date":"2026-08-24T07:29:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T12:29:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfalling-madly-in-love-with-someone-on-social-media-is-for-cowards\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T08:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T12:30:20","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfalling-madly-in-love-with-someone-on-social-media-is-for-cowards-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfalling-madly-in-love-with-someone-on-social-media-is-for-cowards-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Falling In Love With Someone On Social Media Is For Cowards"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignfalling-madly-in-love-with-someone-on-social-media-is-for-cowards-1%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2648769&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Maybe you\u2019ve heard about limerence, a <a href=\"https:\/\/trends.google.com\/trends\/explore?date=today+5-y&#038;q=limerence&#038;hl=en-US&#038;geo=US&#038;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trending<\/a> phenomenon on social media that describes the mental state of being madly infatuated with someone on the internet. Limerence is gaining media coverage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy is everyone talking about limerence?\u201d asked a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2026\/05\/18\/why-is-everyone-talking-about-limerence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">May article in Salon<\/a>. Psychology Today <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/a-deeper-wellness\/202603\/addicted-to-love\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ran a story<\/a> on it in March. It was the subject of an article at the Washington Post in March <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wellness\/2026\/03\/13\/limerence-love\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explaining<\/a> that \u201csocial media is fueling an intense form of romantic obsession.\u201d The May movie <em>Obsession<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/limerence\/comments\/1tmomyh\/horror_film_obsession_2026_and_its_commentary_on\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">generated much online commentary<\/a> because of its connection to limerence.<\/p>\n<p>Fueled by the addictive power of social media, limerence \u2014 a term that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1977\/09\/16\/archives\/love-and-limerence.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">originates with psychologist Dorothy Tennov<\/a>, who described it as \u201cbeing in love\u201d but of an all-absorbing character \u2014 represents yet one more false god in the American quest for love and fulfillment. As <a href=\"https:\/\/psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/the-neurodivergent-therapist\/202402\/limerence-love-and-neurodivergent-women\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">many<\/a> have observed, limerence engenders self-destructive behaviors.\u00a0However, I would argue that beyond simply offering an unrealistic, self-absorbed take on romantic love, because of our digital age it has become the <em>safe <\/em>option and reflects the overly cautious character of contemporary romance.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Social Media Makes Limerence Even More Addictive\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Although most of us can remember a time, often in adolescence, when we had a certain unhealthy, obsessive quality with a romantic interest, social media has dramatically changed this\u00a0 for everyone\u2019s dating scene, not just for teenagers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of young people effectively use Instagram as a dating app and as the main arena where social positioning happens,\u201d former Meta software engineer Matt Hannan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/style\/2026\/08\/05\/how-social-media-feeds-intense-romantic-obsession-limerence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently told the Washington Post<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yet neuroscientist Tom Bellamy told WaPo his research found half of <em>adults <\/em>experience limerence. It sends stronger dopamine signals and weakens the executive functioning of the brain, responsible for regulating desire. It\u2019s the \u201cnatural equivalent of heroin,\u201d says Bellamy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We already know how social media makes it money from dopamine hits from the ephemeral pleasure of the endless scroll. The limerence phenomenon gets its oxygen from that same addictive character of social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLimerence episodes,\u201d in which someone descends into obsessive behavior about a romantic interest, are said to last longer in the digital age, because of the unprecedented amount of information we can access about our \u201clove interest.\u201d Users can spend endless hours trying to make sense of various \u201csignals,\u201d even something simple such as \u201cliking\u201d a photo.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Romeo And Juliet As A Warning To The Infatuated<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>One of the greatest love stories in the Western canon, <em>Romeo and Juliet,<\/em> illustrates limerence at work. I would submit to you that Romeo is the unequivocal villain of the story. For starters, he kills more people than does anyone else in the play.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First, in Act 3, he murders the hot-tempered Tybalt, Juliet\u2019s cousin. Then, in the final scene at Juliet\u2019s tomb, he murders Count Paris, the other man courting the beautiful, young Capulet. That fact alone \u2014 typically ignored by modern interpreters \u2014 should serve as a caution.<\/p>\n<p>Consider also Romeo\u2019s character. When we first meet him, he\u2019s infatuated with Rosaline, a cousin of Juliet\u2019s (isn\u2019t that a little weird?) who does not return his affection. He declares of Rosaline, \u201cOne fairer than my love? the all-seeing sun; Ne\u2019er saw her match since first the world begun!\u201d That feeling holds for all about five seconds, until he sees Juliet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is what romantic infatuation looks like, something modern adaptations of the play have (sadly) obscured given our own naive cultural dedication to youthful \u201clove.\u201d Yes, Romeo and Juliet\u2019s untimely and unnecessary deaths \u2014 which, we should remember, are <em>suicides <\/em>\u2014 result in the warring Montagues and Capulets coming to peace. But should we not be aggrieved, even incensed, that Juliet, who has barely reached puberty, has been seduced by this emotive, irrational, ne\u2019er-do-well? Every father should hope better for his daughter than Romeo.<\/p>\n<p>Far from being a celebratory story of adolescent love, <em>Romeo and Juliet<\/em> is a cautionary tale of the dangers of romantic infatuation. Romeo is a lustful idiot, a man whose passions have overwhelmed whatever virtue he possesses. Juliet is so young and impressionable as to be easily deceived by a handsome, smooth-talking delinquent. The consequence of their tryst is their deaths, as well as the deaths of family members and friends, all demonstrably avoidable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Real Romance Is Dangerous In The Right Way<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><em>Pace<\/em> Romeo, real romance is defined by thoughtful virtue that prioritizes the personhood and good of the other. It honors and celebrates that person, appreciating his or her unique qualities based on a reflection that requires time and energy to explore. It is willing to suffer through the experience of both restraining passions while being vulnerable. It allows the facade of confidence and control we project in the hopes of being understood and loved for who we are.<\/p>\n<p>Limerence aims to lazily shortcut this process of longsuffering for the sake of personal gratification rather than actually <em>loving <\/em>the other (or being really loved). The process of idolizing the other, far from exemplifying love, is self-indulgent and self-absorbed, because we are exploiting the person by cramming him or her into a bizarre template defined by our whimsical fantasies (which isn\u2019t good for us). The \u201climerent\u201d person isn\u2019t sacrificing or engaging in self-offering as much as demanding someone else satisfy <em>himself<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Social media-driven limerence means we can do all of this obsessing with minimal exposure to ourselves \u2014 you don\u2019t have to try to develop a relationship with someone who you admire and trust only to be rejected. You don\u2019t even have to smile at that love interest across a crowded room at a party, only to see the person direct their gaze at another.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You can simply gaze from afar via the anonymity of your computer or smartphone screen. You don\u2019t need to ever even see the person in the flesh. It is the safest, most risk-averse way of indulging in romantic passions, and one whose quixotic fantasies can be imagined in a million different selfish scenarios.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Real romance is dangerous in the right way, in that when we try to truly love someone and it doesn\u2019t work out, we grow in virtue and character, and when it does, we rejoice that another person loves us for who we truly are, as we do them. Limerence is a mere simulacrum of this, buoyed by self-absorbed fantasy. It is a trend that, magnified by social media, is so safe the only risk is unrequited longing \u2014 until we find the next person to obsess over, just like Romeo.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>   Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. He is a regular contributor at many publications and the author of three books, including the upcoming &#8220;Wisdom From the Cross: How Jesus\u2019 Seven Last Words Teach Us How to Live (and Die)&#8221; (Sophia Institute Press, 2026).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maybe you\u2019ve heard about limerence, a trending phenomenon on social media that describes the mental state of being madly infatuated with someone on the internet. Limerence is gaining media coverage.\u00a0 \u201cWhy is everyone talking about limerence?\u201d asked a May article in Salon. Psychology Today ran a story on it in March. It was the subject<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":658,"featured_media":2648791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-7341880-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[84574,18873,16566,47744,39613],"class_list":["post-2648769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-loveadvice","tag-relationships","tag-romance","tag-selfreflection","tag-socialmedia"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-7341880-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2648769"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2648790,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648769\/revisions\/2648790"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2648791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2648769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2648769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2648769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}