Can you be in love with more than one person?

[McPaininthearris]

I am interested to know some views on this.
For me, if you're deeply in love with someone, it isn't possible to feel the same way about another person simultaneously.
What are your thoughts?
Have any of you ever been in love with two people at the same time?

Yes. I've been in love with the same man since I was 16 and probably will be all my life. I've also been in love with multiple other people and am happily married with no wish to change that.

I think maybe in different ways.

I don't think all love is the same. Even all romantic love.

Yes I believe you can be in different ways. I've been in love with two men for 5 years.

You can love more than one child so I don't think it's any different. You can definitely have very strong feelings for more than one person at a time.

Absolutely

Definitely. I love my ex deeply, but don't want to be with him at all. I love my new partner, but in a different way (still romantically) than my ex.

Yeah, I know men say they are in love with their wives, despite having affairs, but I don’t think cheating is compatible with real love. Love is not just about how you feel, it’s about your actions too. So a man who said he loves his wife and OW, then whatever he feels I can’t recognize that as love.

These responses are really interesting.
In terms of romantic love, for me it's always been that once I am in love with a person, that's it. My heart can't go there with anyone else it's as though I have blinkers on. I could love two people I think , but that strong 'in love' feeling can only be in one direction, such is the nature of the feeling.
I guess I have previously assumed that people who have affairs and fall for the AP, mustn't be in love with their spouse. But not necessarily it seems...

The all consuming infatuation of a new relationship? Me personally, no, I couldn’t feel that way toward two people at the same time. But to think of more than one person as one of my super special people (yes yes, cringe/boak if you must), yes I can feel that way toward multiple people.

I think the question of marital affairs is a bit more complex than simply the ability to “be in love” with two people simultaneously.

Absolutely I’ve been in love with an ex for over 30 years. About 15 years ago I fell in love with someone else but it didn’t stop me from loving my ex.

Yes. I’m in a poly triad, we’ve been together over 3 years and love each other deeply.

If you can love all of your children equally for their different personalities, if your love for them never runs out, if you can appreciate different friends for what they bring to you, why not romantic partners?

I fell in love with a friend whilst in a relationship once. I had no idea I could even fall in love with a woman, and we had been friends for about five years when it happened. There was no incident or romantic intentions, or even flirting. It just happened. It didn’t change anything, and I wasn’t even remotely tempted to cheat, but instead just allowed myself to enjoy the feelings. If I had been single I would have explored a relationship but it wasn’t an option and so it never happened.

I then got a new partner after splitting from that relationship, and she was in a relationship too. Her and my new partner didn’t get on and due to other factors as well we drifted apart. But yes, for me it is apparently possible.

I believe you can love more than one person but not be "in love" with more than one person. Being in love is all consuming for me, it couldn't possibly be replicated with another person at the same time.

@Foxgluv this is exactly how it is for me too. Completely consuming, and focused on one person and everything about them. Interesting how many others feel the opposite.

Personally I don't think I could be passionately in love with two people.

I love a lot of people in different ways but not romantically.

Far to much energy for me. 😴

Of course like you can love two parents, multiple children or siblings. It's easier not to tho.

The love for a romantic partner is completely different than love for your parents or children though. I can love friends equally, but to be in love is entirely different I feel. When you think about them constantly, feel desire, excitement, to see them, sexual bonding, etc. To feel that about two people is alien to me.

Yes I loved two men deeply for many years.

Those particular feelings (desire, sexual attraction, excitement etc) aren’t love though, they're infatuation and lust. Love is deeper than that. I think you can feel it for more than one person though definitely, and you can lust after multiple people as well