Do you fall in love fast and often? You could be an emophiliac

Everybody knows someone who falls in love with 'the one' almost immediately before quickly splitting up and starting the cycle all over again.

But now psychologists have dubbed this behaviour as 'emophilia' which describes the tendency to fall in love fast and often, said Dr Daniel Jones, the psychologist who coined the term.

Like other character traits, emophilia is on a scale with some people high up while others are right at the bottom. Most people are in the middle.

People who are highly emophilic, said Dr Jones, repeatedly 'seek the rush of romantic emotions, immediate romantic connections, and the rapid development of romantic love'.

But, he stresses, for these people it is about 'want' - not 'need'.

These individuals 'do not start out needing someone in their life as those who are prone to loneliness, fear being single, or who are anxiously attached [those who long to be close to others but fear rejection and abandonment]', he wrote in an academic paper published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

And falling in love 'immediately or with little information about someone' can cause problems, said Dr Jones, an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, in the U.S.

'Although it is not a pathology [i.e. a mental disorder], elevated levels of emophilia can result in risky behaviors,' he said.

These include 'ignoring red flags' that a love interest is displaying, or having unsafe sex - they may abandon condoms before they know it is safe to because of an early 'sense of trust, commitment, and an interpersonal bond', he said.

People high in emophilia may even perjure themselves for a partner; his studies have found they are more likely to lie and 'cover' for a partner, even if they've only known them a short time.

They're are also more likely to be unfaithful to others, he found.

'Their excitement, rush of attraction, and fast connections don't turn off once they get into a relationship,' Dr Jones said.

'Because they have a lower minimum threshold for excitement and connections, it makes them an infidelity risk.'

And it is the frequent nature of their falling in love that sets them apart.

'If someone did indeed fall in love overnight and maintained that relationship faithfully with no other love interests until death, I would not classify that person as high in emophilia (aka 'emophilic'),' said Dr Jones.

'Thus, although the development of a romantic connection must be fast for emophilia to be present, it must also be repeated.'

His advice for people who are emophilic is to be 'patient', adding that, when dating, they should think about giving people that seem 'boring' to them a chance.

'Those are folks that are most likely to be overlooked by someone high in emophilia, because they do not feel the 'rush' of excitement that they feel with others,' he said.

'Those who sell themselves well on initial dates and are smooth and charming sometimes have an agenda and will use that rush of excitement for later exploitation.

'Red flags for more harmful behaviour should be much more compromising than red flags due to boringness.'

He added that they should also 'find a friend, family member, or therapist who can help you navigate your emotions and decision making.

'Trust their advice and remember that emotions and excitement can be easily manipulated, but trust and companionship should not be rushed into, and a good foundation is critical for a realistic chance to have a relationship work.'