Symptoms of Limerence

The following are the main symptoms seen with limerence

•  Intrusive and obsessive thinking about the LO
  
  • Spending more time thinking about LO than anyone or anything else
  • Difficulty avoiding, reducing, stopping focusing and concentrating on LO, despite voluntary control
  • Distractibility to the point where relationships and responsibilities are compromised
  • Persistent, exaggerated positive or negative interpretations of LO’s cues
• Replay and rehearsal
  
  • High sensitivity to LO’s behavioural cues
  • More often than not, constantly replaying events that have already occurred involving interactions with LO
  • More often than not, constantly anticipating/rehearsing events that have yet to occur involving interactions with LO
  • More often than not, constantly imagining vivid experiences in which LO reciprocates feelings and intentions
  • More often than not, such imagined experiences create feelings of hopefulness for reciprocation from LO, driving excessive and unreasonable behaviours/reactions
  • More often than not, these actions compromise efficiency/productivity
• Anxiety and self-consciousness
  
  • Make constant attempts to present self (e.g., in physical appearance, behaviour and attitude) most favourably to LO
  • Physiological symptoms accompanying feelings of shyness, embarrassment, and anxiety (e.g., shortness of breath, perspiration, heart palpitations)
  • Aching/pain in the chest or abdominal regions are intensified with increased uncertainty and/or increased signs of rejection by LO
  • Socially inept in the presence of LO (e.g., stuttering, clumsiness, awkward behaviour)
  • Shyness, embarrassment, and anxiety are heightened in the actual or imagined presence of LO
  • Strong, persistent, enduring fear of being rejected by LO
• Emotional dependence
  
  • Strong, persistent, enduring yearning for reciprocation from LO
  • Feelings of depression and/or apprehension are intensified with increased uncertainty and/or increased signs of rejection by LO
  • Feelings of ecstasy are intensified with signs of reciprocation by LO
  • Affective lability
  • Longing and yearning for reciprocation are heightened and intensified with uncertainty of status of LO’s feelings
  • Longing and yearning for reciprocation are heightened and intensified in the presence of situational barriers (e.g., LO takes a new job, LO moves out of town, LO’s schedule interferes with or prevents spending time together)
• Impaired functioning
  • Significant relationships and responsibilities are compromised due to preoccupation on LO