If you spot someone with great eye contact, showing signs of coyness – and with an increased blink rate, it could mean it’s ‘love at first sight’.
Body language expert Judi James says love at first sight is real and has impossible-to-avoid visual cues.
What she calls ‘peek-a-boo behaviour’ is one of the most obvious clues – when we’re compelled to look away, but the impulse to look back is too strong.
But no matter how confident or extrovert we normally are, coyness will still strike when falling for someone in an instant – with signals like lowering your chin, blushing, or giggling all typically being prominent.
And there are some physiological responses to look out for as well – such as breathing becoming shallow and more frequent, and your mouth drying out, according to Judi.
It comes after research of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Specsavers, found 70 percent firmly believe in love at first sight.
And 59 percent of relationships which began with love at first sight, are still going strong and 19 percent of those relationships have lasted over 40 years.
The body language maestro, who has teamed up with opticians and audiologists, said: “Love at first sight happens when a hugely complex, computer-like process occurs in a matter of seconds, coming up with the emotional equivalent of a jackpot.
“Imagine a fruit machine where the cogs keep spinning round with multiple combinations before suddenly and dramatically arriving at the four bells, when the world goes crazy.
“Instant love is usually based on thousands of memories that accrue in our lives – all the ‘ideal’ personality traits, visual stimulus, and role models that we’ve got stored away will suddenly seem to be encompassed in this one person we’re looking at.
“But without doubt, most of the symptoms of love at first sight are created via the eyes – it starts and sometimes ends with the eye connection.
“We fall in love because our eye speak to each other in a complex way that we often don’t even understand ourselves.
“The phrase ‘their eyes met across a crowded room’ is more than just a cliché, it really does happen.
“If your eyes meet and then everything else seems to signal compatibility, we really can experience love at first sight.”
It also emerged couples who fell for each other at first sight, and are still together today, have lasted an average of 18 years and counting so far.
An overwhelming attraction (47 percent) was the most common sign experienced by these lovers upon the first meeting, and 36 percent recall not being able to take their eyes off them.
Over a third (35 percent) felt butterflies in their stomach, with 31 percent feeling an immediate sense of comfort and ease.
However, of the non-believers, 87 percent think falling in love happens over time and can’t happen in a moment.
And 58 percent cynically reckon it is a concept which has been made up for TV, film and books.
The research, which was conducted via OnePoll, went on to find 87 percent think it is important to maintain good eye contact during the early stages of dating someone.
And 64 percent believe the eyes are often the biggest indicator someone is falling in love.
Although just 16 percent think they would be able to pick up on the signs if someone was falling for them at first glance.
Giles Edmonds, clinical services director at Specsavers, said: “They say the eyes are a window to the soul and now, we can see just how important they are when it comes to falling in love.
“With the power to send hidden romantic messages and pick up on subtle amorous cues, neglecting the wellbeing of our sight could mean missing out on love.
“By ensuring your clarity of vision this Valentine’s Day, you’ll be making sure that ‘the one’ doesn’t slip away unnoticed.”
