Photo: getty
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Aug 01, 2020
We all have dominant personality traits that determine who we really are, but sometimes, they just don't match up with the person we wish we could be, especially when it comes to how we see ourselves in romantic relationships.
In fact, the results of any personality tests we might take when we're smack in the middle of falling in love can be especially tough to trust.
In that delicate emotional state, what we show the world, in many ways, is a series of optical illusions of ourselves.
There aren't many other times in our lives during which we are quite so aware of ourselves changing as it happens. After all, falling in love is a transformative experience.
When we fall in love, it's not just our relationship status on social media, but our whole lives that change. Ideally, they change for the better, and if you know how to look for it, you can actually experience the changes happening all around you.
Maybe now that you're in love with an early bird, you appreciate the sunrise in a way you never did before. Maybe now, instead of sitting home alone on Friday nights, you're more outgoing and therefore, you're beginning to spend more time with your loved ones and friends than you did in the past.
Sometimes, of course, love can transform us in ways that aren't as positive. Falling in love is absolutely wonderful, but it's also pretty darn scary. That's because, in order to receive love, you need to let yourself be vulnerable, and even then, having that love returned is never guaranteed.
It doesn't matter how much you love yourself, each one of us has personality traits we're concerned might keep a potential love-of-our-life away.
So, what do we do? We play mind games and pretend to be someone else.
If you want to figure out who you pretend to be when you're falling in love, you're in the right place.
This personality test was designed to help you quickly and accurately establish who you pretend you are when you fall for someone.
And it couldn't be easier. Simply take a look at the image below and make a mental note of what you see first.
Then, scroll down to find out what this personality test reveals about who you pretend to be when you're falling in love.
If you saw...
1. The face of Vincent van Gogh
If you saw the face of Vincent van Gogh when you first looked at this image, you pretend to be a moody artist when you're falling in love.
You might already be an artist, but something about falling in love makes you worry that your rare moody moments might push people away. The result? You pretend that you're constantly going through a sea of troubled emotions.
Please don't cut off your ear, and please stop subscribing to the whole, "if they can't handle me at my worst, they don't deserve me at my best" line of thinking. Everyone has bad moods. Your attempt to keep your love at your side could wind up pushing them away completely.
2. The woman walking
If you saw the woman walking when you first looked at this image, you pretend to be completely carefree when you're falling in love.
In the past, you've likely been in relationships where your worries and your anxieties were more than your partner was willing to take. But you don't have to hide who you are and pretend that everything's fine now.
This isn't that old relationship! Don't be afraid to share what scares you or worries you with your partner.
No one is worry-free all the time. And please, they probably already know you're faking it anyway!
3. The houses in the distance
If you saw the houses in the distance when you first looked at this image, you pretend to be ready to settle down every time you're falling in love.
This might not be something you are even conscious that you're doing, but it happens. You go from wild gal about town to Helen Homemaker.
There's nothing wrong with playing house, but remember to maintain balance in all things.
If he fell for the girl who is always up for an adventure, he'll be surprised to find the woman who wants to go to bed at 8:30 PM on a Saturday by his side. You can express your love while still being your awesome self, and if he's really "the one," he'll only love you all the more for it.
4. The man in the center
If you saw the man in the center when you first looked at this image, you pretend to be whatever you think your partner "secretly" wants you to be whenever you're falling in love.
If you think they want someone to learn how to make sushi with, you'll be that person, no matter how much you hate fish. If they want someone who'll happily join them at lectures and in discussions of philosophy, suddenly you're wearing glasses and tweed.
It's not that you don't know who you are, it's that you sometimes worry that who you are isn't enough. Frankly, that's silly. And what's more, it's not your decision to make!
Chances are, that if this person fell for you in the first place, they're bound to be baffled seeing "you" replaced with someone else entirely. You are enough, and anyone worthy enough to be loved by you already knows it.
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Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's the Senior Editor of Pop Culture at Newsweek with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, and true crime.