A person running an X account has gathered together 50 screenshots of individuals texting their crushes and concluded that dignity had reached its limit. The collection covers everything from constant compliments to desperate attempts at reassurance, and the author freely admits they’ve done the exact same things themselves.
The Collection
This collection gathers screenshots where individuals lose all reason when faced with someone attractive. The posts here are the kind that leave you staring at your screen, wondering how anyone could possibly think “Oh my God! They are down bad!”.
Work your way through the selection without being too quick to condemn. What you find is people behaving in ways that fall short of their usual selves, often in a manner that would be amusing if it weren’t also a little unsettling.
Why We Act Silly Around People We Like
It is entirely natural to behave oddly when you have strong feelings for another person. You may find yourself noticing details about them that no one else appears to care about, or going over a conversation again and again because you cannot stop thinking about what they said.
Some studies show that intense attraction to someone triggers activity in brain regions tied to reward and motivation. That reaction can make spending time with that person feel like rainbows and sunshine.
Crushes Get Intense Fast
The intensity of a crush is not necessarily tied to how long you have known someone. Even if you barely know a person, your mind can invent a complete personality from just a handful of appealing traits.
It happens so quickly that you build a complete image of who they are in your mind. According to the American Psychological Association, those caught up in romantic love tend to idealize the person they love. That means they may fall for the idea of them instead of the actual person, having made them larger than life.
Unrequited Love Is Common
It happens more often than people expect, and it can look different depending on the circumstances. You may find yourself drawn to someone who cannot be with you, or you may develop strong feelings for someone who simply does not return them.
Studies into unrequited love show that such circumstances tend to cause greater emotional distress than mutual love does, which makes an already strong infatuation even harder to let go of.
Limerence vs. A Crush
The word limerence refers to a fixation psychologists recognize as distinct from a simple crush. It involves obsessive thoughts about another person that are hard to control, along with a constant hope that they will come to share those feelings back.
Natacha Duke, a psychotherapist, describes limerence as involving constant thought about someone along with altered behavior designed to catch their notice or win their love back.
One-Sided Connections Online
A parasocial relationship is described by the American Psychological Association as an emotional bond with a person who isn’t actually known personally, including celebrities, influencers, made-up characters, or an AI personality.
Seeing someone repeatedly online, listening to them speak about their life, and keeping up with their posts can make you think you know them well. In this situation, though, the person you have a crush on has no idea you’re there at all — something that’s happening more and more thanks to social media.
It is now far simpler to grow fond of a person who has no idea you are alive thanks to social media. Each day, you can view their countenance, views, humor, ordinary tasks, and personal reports without ever having set eyes on them in person.
Simping As A Verb
An intense crush doesn’t always signal a serious psychological situation. It can simply mean you’ve developed a strong liking for someone and are acting like their unpaid club publicist.
When it comes to photos, you build them up without anyone asking, and you rush to answer their messages in 0.4 seconds. Defending them even when no one else cares. There’s actually a name for this kind of dedication online: simping.
Online dating culture now includes the phenomenon known as simping, which has grown into a recognized part of it. The term refers to a person who is excessively attentive to or impressed by the individual they are attracted to, according to Dictionary.com’s definition. It has also taken on a broader meaning, describing someone who is very obviously into another person.
How Far People Go
This selection includes entries that demonstrate the extent to which one-sided feelings can develop.
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Early crush | Notice small details, replay conversations |
| Picture building | Complete picture of someone you barely know |
| Limerence | Constant thoughts, behavior changes to be noticed |
| Simping | Publicist-level devotion, 0.4-second responses |
There is scientific evidence that being liked by someone can activate parts of the brain’s reward system, and social media makes it easy to fall for someone who doesn’, even when you do not know the person at all. The comedy arises from the directness of the messages themselves, which make no attempt to hide their intent.
That’s the joke. It’s not the crush itself that’s funny; it’s the fact that someone decided to share it with everyone.
This gathering serves as a reminder that love is chaotic, and the more disorder there is, the more amusing it appears to those looking on.
Source material: “50 Starry-Eyed Lovers Who Saw Their Crushes And Decided Dignity Was No Longer Necessary,” Bored Panda.
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