Some ethnic groups are far more disposed towards believing in love at first sight than others. An individual's ethnic background influences their attitude towards love at first sight. Many ethnic groups in the United States possess unique subcultures that are manifested in ways very different from the U.S. society as a whole.
For instance, a very large portion of Asian/ Pacific Islanders believe in love at first sight. Hispanics are also more apt to believe in love at first sight. Caucasions, and Native Americans/Eskimos all had about the same portion of believers. (These contentions can be backed up from the research by Naumann and Associates.)
Love At First Sight and Education
Education is inversely linked to love at first sight. For instance those who have attended graduate school believe in love at first sight more so than those who have attended at least some college, or graduated from college. Furthermore, those who have only a high school diploma or equivalent, are most apt to believe in love at first sight than those who have attended college. Although the difference between believers and non-believers is not extremely large, there is a very obvious pattern existing through this data. (These contentions can be backed up from research by Naumann and Associates.) This outcome may be due to the fact that college educations promote a more rational process of thought that can counterbalance emotional motivation or urges. Therefore, the more educated a person is, the more skeptical they are of love at first sight.
If a person believes in love at first sight, education actually has little influence in whether they experience it or not. An education may influence a person not to believe in love at first sight, but once a person believe it can happen, it actually does to more than half of the believers.
Love At First Sight and Times Married
If a person has been married more than once, it's common for that person to rush into relationships more quickly. ( Levingston 176) Therefore, they would be more likely to believe in love at first sight and to experience it. Getting married repeatedly seems to convince respondents that love at first sight is possible. Or, it may be possible that they experience love at first sight and get married as a result repeatedly. Whatever the direction or causality, people who have been married four or more times are very likely to be believers. They are also likely to have experienced love at first sight. (These contentions can be backed up by research form Naumann and Associates.)
Love At First Sight and Relationship Status
Another important factor of people believing in love at first sight was their current relationship status when they claimed to be in love at first sight. Naumann's research showed that 80 percent of men, and 79.8 percent of women, were not involved in a relationship at the time of their "love at first sight".However, although significantly small, Naumann's research also showed that 10.2 percent of men, and 12.9 percent of women were already involved in a relationship with another person. Even smaller percentages of men and women were either married to someone else at the time, or married but separated from their spouse at the time of experiencing love at first sight.
Actually experiencing love at first sight is more likely to be a once in a lifetime experience, especially for females. The reason for this is probably linked to the profound emotional impact of love at first sight. But of course, the outcomes of love at first sight also exert influence. More than 60 percent of women marry the object of their love at first sight, and less than seven percent of these women, divorce them. (Naumann, preface) Therefore, a woman who experiences love at first sight more than likely does not experience it a second time.
No matter what external forces seem to have a play on a person's beliefs of love at first sight, that fact still remains that love at first sight does exist. However, as seen these factors can show a great deal of variation in the results. What a person's education is, their ethnic background, their age, or any other factor can all influence what they believe.
OTHER RESEARCH
In addition to Naumann and Associates' research, British scientists at Britian's Institute of Psychiatry, have also been trying to prove the age-old myth of love at first sight, Psychiatrists and neuroscientists have been closely examining men and women's brain activity when they feel certain emotions.
These researchers have been showing men and women different pictures and photos that have been created to cause a wide range of emotional responses. During the period of picture showing, neuroscientists and psychiatrists monitor the blood flow in the brains of the subjects using a medical technique called "Magnetic Resonance Imaging". The scientists claim that the changes in the flow of the blood stream in the brain indicate whether people are in love, and may even show the difference between a person being in love, and lust. Dr. Tonmoy Sharma, the head of the research team at the Institute states, " We are using certain slides- men have rated these slides erotic or highly romantic. So, we want to distinguish between these emotions and also see whether there are different brain regions that come into play when the erotic or romantic slides are flashed in front of the subjects."
Although no significant conclusion has been drawn yet, it is safe to assume that they are closer to finding the answer to the age-old mystery of love at first sight.
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT IN THE MEDIA
Love at first sight is in the movies we see, the books we choose to read, the music we listen to, and even in the lives of people we know.
William Shakespeare appears to be a believer in this rare phenomenon, or at least that's what he portrays through some of his famous literary pieces.
For an example, we can look at the famous tale of Romeo and Juliet . Romeo first sees Juliet during her family's banquet. His reaction shows that Juliet's appearance greatly affects him;