Build a life so full of personal hobbies, friendships, and career goals that a romantic partner is a "value-add" rather than a survival requirement. Final Thoughts
Force yourself to slow down. Limit dates to twice a week and avoid "future-tripping" (planning weddings or vacations) in the first three months. love junkie scan
Performing a scan on your romantic life requires radical honesty. Here are the primary "data points" to examine: 1. The Dopamine Loop Audit Build a life so full of personal hobbies,
Research in neurobiology shows that the brains of people in the early stages of "obsessive love" look remarkably similar to brains on cocaine. The ventral tegmental area (VTA)—the brain’s reward system—fires rapidly. Performing a scan on your romantic life requires
A key symptom of love addiction is "ruminative fantasy." During your scan, evaluate how much time you spend thinking about who the person actually is versus the idealized version you’ve created in your head. If you are ignoring "red flags" in favor of a "soulmate" narrative, you are operating in junkie territory. 3. The Emotional Withdrawal Test