What is boyfriend sickness? Signs to look out for

Have you ever had a friend who just started dating someone, and they are so obsessed with their new love interest that their whole life revolves around them. So much so that they start cancelling plans with you and their other friends? Or have you ever been in this situation? Well, this seems to be quite a common behaviour among people who have just started dating and there's a term for it, called --

boyfriend sickness

!
The term boyfriend sickness was coined by

TikTok

influencer-podcaster Tinx to describe this

obsessive behaviour

.

And while it is called "boyfriend sickness", people of any gender can have this behaviour.
However, experts say this is quite a common behaviour and it is much needed for new couples to bond and create deeper attachments. Also, it is a temporary phase in most cases.
As per Amir Levine- Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University, in people who are in a new romantic relationship, their brains work overtime to form a bond with their partner. This is how and when our attachment styles-- whether it is secure, anxious, or avoidant-- which is established in our early childhood start reflecting in our

romantic relationships

. “It takes a lot of scrambling and neuro-circuitry rewiring to make this stranger someone important,” Levine said, as reported by The Washington Post. When a new couple spends a lot of time together, it helps them create a strong bond-- and this can take a few weeks to a few months. Once a couple is strongly connected, they can focus on other relationships as well and this is generally when they start hanging out with each others' friends.

And so, boyfriend sickness is generally the very early stages of a relationship. Once it is cleared, it takes a new couple's relationship to the next level.
However, one must remember that friendships are also important. Much more, in certain cases, especially when a romantic relationship doesn't go well, it is these friends whom one falls back on for emotional support. And so, one's friends shouldn't be neglected in the long-run.

Signs of boyfriend sickness:
1. Your life revolves around your new partner
2. You are unable to function independently or make solo decisions
3. You are dependent on your new partner for making all decisions, including if you should spend time with family or friends
4. You start ignoring

red flags

in your new romantic partner
5. You feel insecure when your partner is not available or free to spend time with you.