--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Romantic love is an addiction." description: "\"Romantic love is an addiction.\" — Helen Fisher" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27b/helen-fisher-2469_addiction_romantic-love-is-an-addiction-1301363_1301363.png" --- # Romantic love is an addiction. ![“Romantic love is an addiction.” quote by Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27b/helen-fisher-2469_addiction_romantic-love-is-an-addiction-1301363_1301363.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27b/helen-fisher-2469_addiction_romantic-love-is-an-addiction-1301363_1301363.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27b/helen-fisher-2469_addiction_romantic-love-is-an-addiction-1301363_1301363.png) > “Romantic love is an addiction.” [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Romantic love functions like an addiction. **In simple terms:** Love is addictive. Key Takeaway Cultivate healthy relationships. Themes love addiction biology Mood cautious inquisitive Type psychological educational When to use this quote - dating - relationship counseling - self‑care Key Concepts neurochemistry attachment dependency Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate unhealthy attachment? - How can you foster balanced love? A Different Perspective Addiction can become unhealthy if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Romantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic/) [Romantic love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic-love/) ## Related quotes > [Romantic love is an addiction: a perfectly wonderful addiction when it’s going well, and a perfectly horrible addiction when it’s going poorly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/romantic-love-is-an-addiction-a-perfectly-wonderful-addiction-when-it/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [“We share a reckless, toxic love that feeds the brokenness in me, in us. Our love is an addiction. A love that I won’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-mckeon/we-share-a-reckless-toxic-love-that-feeds-the-brokenness-in-me-in-us/) Angie McKeon > [Love is an addiction, Love is an emotion, Love is the best and can be the worst. So if you dont have love for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikel-musial/love-is-an-addiction-love-is-an-emotion-love-is-the-best-and-can-be/) [Mikel Musial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikel-musial/) > [Romantic love is an obsession. It possesses you. You lose your sense of self. You can’t stop thinking about another human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/romantic-love-is-an-obsession-it-possesses-you-you-lose-your-sense-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [LOVE-ADDICTION: Trying to make someone love you even at the last moment of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-addiction-trying-to-make-someone-love-you-even-at-the-last/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That my love was an addiction when we cling our love is strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/culture-club/that-my-love-was-an-addiction-when-we-cling-our-love-is-strong/) [Culture Club](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/culture-club/) > [“LOVE JUNKIE travels tenderly and boldly into the despair, isolation, and tenacity of sex and love addiction. Rachel Resnick's gift for language and storytelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-mcdaniel/love-junkie-travels-tenderly-and-boldly-into-the-despair-isolation/) Kelly McDaniel > [No-strings relationships have helped cure me of love addiction. All my life I've been in long-term monogamous relationships. I had to break that pattern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanis-morissette/no-strings-relationships-have-helped-cure-me-of-love-addiction-all-my/) [Alanis Morissette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanis-morissette/) > [“Love is your addiction to an eternal longing for someone...A thirst which one cannot relinquish”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seema-gupta/love-is-your-addiction-to-an-eternal-longing-for-someone-a-thirst/) [Seema Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seema-gupta/) > [Yes, I have patterns of love addiction. But I'm a woman. Of course I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/yes-i-have-patterns-of-love-addiction-but-i-m-a-woman-of-course-i-do/) [Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/) > [In love addiction that experience of: 'Oh my God, I'm in love... I feel whole, and I feel like I've known this person forever.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/in-love-addiction-that-experience-of-oh-my-god-i-m-in-love-i-feel/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [The main characteristics of romantic love are craving: an intense craving to be with a particular person, not just sexually, but emotionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/the-main-characteristics-of-romantic-love-are-craving-an-intense/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Psychologists maintain that the dizzy feeling of intense romantic love lasts only about 18 months to-at best-three years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/psychologists-maintain-that-the-dizzy-feeling-of-intense-romantic/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [There's magic to love... Millions of years ago we evolved three basic drives: the sex love, romantic love, and attachment to a long-term partner.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/there-s-magic-to-love-millions-of-years-ago-we-evolved-three-basic/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Anthropologists have found evidence of romantic love in 170 societies. They've never found a society that did not have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/anthropologists-have-found-evidence-of-romantic-love-in-170-societies/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) ## More by Helen Fisher > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Of all the foods we share, there is nothing more primordial than meat. It's no surprise that meat-eaters still want a partner who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/of-all-the-foods-we-share-there-is-nothing-more-primordial-than-meat/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [When chimps threaten, they open their mouth and show their teeth. It's a little like waving a knife in front of you. It's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/when-chimps-threaten-they-open-their-mouth-and-show-their-teeth-it-s/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [For so many generations, a woman's only career path was to marry well and to marry up. Those days have changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/for-so-many-generations-a-woman-s-only-career-path-was-to-marry-well/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Almost always, when I'm on TV, the producers who call me, who negotiate what we're going to say, is a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/almost-always-when-i-m-on-tv-the-producers-who-call-me-who-negotiate/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Jealousy can even be good for love. One partner may feel secretly flattered when the other is mildly jealous. And catching someone flirting with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/jealousy-can-even-be-good-for-love-one-partner-may-feel-secretly/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [In that early-love stage, you're in that state of exhilaration. You talk till dawn. You become obsessed with 'What does he think?' 'Does he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/in-that-early-love-stage-you-re-in-that-state-of-exhilaration-you/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [“...if patterns of human love subtly change, all sorts of social and political atrocities can escalate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/if-patterns-of-human-love-subtly-change-all-sorts-of-social-and/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [People have been looking for love potions since hunter-gatherer societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/people-have-been-looking-for-love-potions-since-hunter-gatherer/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Women's worst invention was the plow. With the beginning of plow agriculture, men's roles became extremely powerful. Women lost their ancient jobs as collectors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/women-s-worst-invention-was-the-plow-with-the-beginning-of-plow/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [As women in industrial societies join the paid workforce, they gain the economic means to depart unhappy marriages more easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/as-women-in-industrial-societies-join-the-paid-workforce-they-gain/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [For men, being too put-together implies femininity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/for-men-being-too-put-together-implies-femininity/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Why do we feel jealousy? Therapists often regard the demon as a scar of childhood trauma or a symptom of a psychological problem. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/why-do-we-feel-jealousy-therapists-often-regard-the-demon-as-a-scar/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [In America, we are demanding everything from our marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/in-america-we-are-demanding-everything-from-our-marriage/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Despite the myth that men are less committed, they are predisposed to desire marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/despite-the-myth-that-men-are-less-committed-they-are-predisposed-to/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) [Explore all 164 Helen Fisher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) ## More Addiction quotes > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I really think the disease aspect gets lost when you're talking about alcoholism and addiction; it's not like you're battling leukemia or a heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-irsay/i-really-think-the-disease-aspect-gets-lost-when-you-re-talking-about/) [Jim Irsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-irsay/) > [I had an addiction to artificial points of success. Like being able to run for this or run for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-gallego/i-had-an-addiction-to-artificial-points-of-success-like-being-able-to/) [Ruben Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-gallego/) > [“Addictions are just symptoms of underlying issues, and in my view Nikki self-medicated the emotional pain of his childhood, and being away from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/addictions-are-just-symptoms-of-underlying-issues-and-in-my-view/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [“Oil. The great addiction of the civilized world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/oil-the-great-addiction-of-the-civilized-world/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“They say when you fall in love in love with someone that person becomes like a drug,an addiction you don't want to live without.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-when-you-fall-in-love-in-love-with-someone-that-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Addictions - Run to Jesus instead of running to your addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/addictions-run-to-jesus-instead-of-running-to-your-addiction/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Music is my personal addiction. So much of everything I've done has only been to open more doors for the music itself. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/music-is-my-personal-addiction-so-much-of-everything-i-ve-done-has/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [Cold sweats, hallucinations I wanna speed to stop. The hell I'm going through The addiction's taking you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bullet-for-my-valentine/cold-sweats-hallucinations-i-wanna-speed-to-stop-the-hell-i-m-going/) [Bullet For My Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bullet-for-my-valentine/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) David Norman > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Browse all 2,134 Addiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Romantic love is an addiction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Helen Fisher" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/romantic-love-is-an-addiction/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Addiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/romantic-love-is-an-addiction/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27b/helen-fisher-2469_addiction_romantic-love-is-an-addiction-1301363_1301363.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27b/helen-fisher-2469_addiction_romantic-love-is-an-addiction-1301363_1301363.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27b/helen-fisher-2469_addiction_romantic-love-is-an-addiction-1301363_1301363.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Romantic love is an addiction.” — Helen Fisher", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Helen Fisher", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Romantic love is an addiction.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/romantic-love-is-an-addiction/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/romantic-love-is-an-addiction/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```