How do you know when you are in love?

The big clues revolve around an overall suspension of common sense. Any objectivity regarding the one adored is inexplicably eradicated as the victim is reduced to fawning obsession around exaggerated or imaginary traits assigned the addictive “object” accompanied by laughable expectations of future perfections on the time honored fiction of perfect happiness.

The songs all make sense.

What a wonderful diagnosis!!

Have you ever loved a pet? It’s similar on the emotional level, but unlike with a pet (let’s hope), you want to engage in physical affection too.

It depends. People feel what they think love is in many different ways.
I met 40 something man once who had just broken up with his live-in girlfriend. Before he met this girlfriend he had been married for about 20 years. Raised a family with this wife before the divorce. And he thought he loved this wife.
But when he broke up with this girlfriend, he was devastated!
And he thought he loved his wife!
So you don’t really know until you’ve really been there.

It’s like when you have to poop. You just know…

When you desire to make the happiness and well[-being of the other person your top priority.

…and there are a lot of people who don’t really know.

^Good point.

I would say, honestly, that if you get over hurting after 6 months, you weren’t really in love.