Oh, love. 

It’s the subject that’s most written about—in poetry, songs, movies…you name it!

And yet, for some reason, so much of it is a baffling mystery to most people. Especially when it’s happening to you!

So, let’s try to uncover the mystery just a bit. 

If there’s a girl in your life, and you’re just not quite sure how she feels about you, take notes. 

Here are 7 things a woman does when she’s falling in love.

1) She becomes painfully shy

For some reason, those first stages of love make us extra self-conscious around our crush.

No matter how we try to mask it and act confident, we still come off a little stiff.

It happens to every girl I know. 

And the more intense the attraction, the more the girl shies away.

A girl in love tends to:

• Act awkward
• Stutter, mumble, and fidget
• Say things that don’t make sense
• Blush 
• Become more conscious of her appearance
• Stare at you, but can’t hold your gaze
• Laugh nervously

Why does this happen?

Well, let’s blame our sympathetic nervous system!

Responsible for the “fight-or-flight” mechanism, it instructs your heart to race and your pulse to start pounding—turning you into a bundle of nerves when your crush is around.

And a research on physiological changes and attraction theorizes that this actually has benefits.

Even if nervous reactions might seem maladaptive, they can actually increase the chances of seducing one’s partner of choice. 

After all, when we’re nervous, we tend to smile, laugh, and make fun of ourselves—and these are endearing behaviors that can make one’s object of desire feel less intimidated to approach us.

2) She finds your annoying behaviors “cute”

She’s got those rose-colored glasses on. So, a girl in love is easy to please, and difficult (almost impossible) to disappoint.

And mind you, she’s not normally someone who’s easy to please. It’s just that now, she sees you as that special someone—a cut above the rest!

A girl in love would often:

• Laugh, even at your corniest jokes
• Think you’re just misunderstood
• Find your flaws adorable
• Believe you just don’t realize how awesome you are
• Smile at the mundane things you do
• Shower you with praise for your accomplishments
• Look past your major flaws

They don’t say “Love is blind” for no reason, you know?

According to Elizabeth Kane, professor of clinical psychology and behavioral science at South University, “A person newly in love sees the world through the lens of love and most everything is tolerable and everything their partner does is delightful.”

This is probably the reason why relationship experts encourage couples to wait until the honeymoon stage passes before saying “I do”. 

That way, you’ll be more able to recognize the flaws of your beloved, and assess if they’re really something you can live with ‘til death do you part.

3) She becomes an open book

Well, except for the fact that she’s into you, of course!

When a girl is in love with you and you’re good friends, every time you have a positive interaction, her brain releases feel-good substances like oxytocin. 

These substances make her long for you and bond with you quickly thus creating a feeling of intimacy.

And this is why a girl in love would:

• Confide her deepest secrets 
• Tell you about her dreams, frustrations, fears, and trauma
• Express curiosity about your most intimate feelings and unique life experiences
• Include you in her plans for the future

And in doing this, they’ll fall in love with you even more!

Unlike men who fall in love with external appearances, women tend to fall in love with personality and deep connections.

4) She goes hot and cold

According to dating experts Jonathan and David Bennett, women fall in love more slowly than men.

They hypothesized that this might be biology at play, yet again. 

Evolution has programmed women to be pickier because, after all, women have more to lose if they end up choosing the wrong mate.

Basically, when she goes with her “heart”, she goes HOT, and is all over you. But when she’s using her brain, she goes COLD, and may appear distant for no clear reason. 

If you know a woman like this, her intention is probably not to toy with a man’s emotions. 

She’s simply anxious (and trying to be level-headed) and that’s why she’s taking her time before going all in.

5) She stops seeing other men

According to a study, men have the capacity to fall in love with multiple people at the beginning of courtship. 

Women, on the other hand, tend to fixate on fewer guys overall.

Meaning to say that once a girl is truly in love with you, she will stop seeing other guys. 

It’s not even because she feels bad that she’s dating multiple men (there’s nothing wrong with that, anyway), it’s just that she doesn’t have any desire to even meet them. 

Personally, I find it a waste of time to meet other guys when I know that I already have one that I truly like.

And if she’s deleted her dating app? 

Then chances are she’s already in love!

6) She says she likes your personality

Unlike men, women need more than just physical attraction to fall head-over-heels in love.

What else do they require?

Personality to make them swoon.

Does she laugh hard at your jokes and playfully tell you how funny you are?

Does she tell your friends that you’re so patient, generous, and brave? 

If a girl compliments you a lot for your personality—and she doesn’t do it with other people—she’s probably lovesick for you already.

7) She has more courage

Did you know that the hormones responsible for falling in love are the same kind that’s responsible for fight-or-flight responses?

This could be the reason why lovers elope, and sometimes do reckless and st*pid things (ahem Romeo and Juliet).

But if they’re still not in a relationship, they’ll show courage in other ways.

A woman in love could:

• Write a poem for her crush and publish it
• Rebel against her parents 
• Be louder and more daring to catch the guy’s attention
• Engage in risk-taking behaviors if it means she can be closer to her man
• Drop everything, even pressing responsibilities, just to be with her beau 

When I’m in love, I’m a totally different person.

I suddenly have the guts to do whatever it takes to win the attention and affection of my beloved. But hey, I think some courage (tempered by critical thinking) is never a bad thing. 

Final thoughts:

As they say, love makes fools of us all. 

So really, don’t beat yourself up if you’ve missed signs that the girl you’re into has been dropping. 

You still have your chance. 

Just like any person, thoughtful affection is attractive to any woman. 

Listen to her, spend quality time with her, and reciprocate when she opens up about her most intimate feelings, and you can be sure that she’ll fall even more deeply in love with you.