💋 The Love Clinic — Why Do People Fall for Unavailable Partners? by Sarnia de la Maré
The Love Clinic — Why Do People Fall for Unavailable Partners? Welcome to The Love Clinic. Today’s question is one that many people quietly recognise in their own lives: why do we sometimes fall for people who are emotionally unavailable? It is a pattern that appears again and again in modern relationships. Someone becomes fascinated with a partner who cannot fully commit, who sends mixed signals, or who seems distant just when intimacy begins to grow. At first glance, it might seem irrational. Why would anyone choose a relationship that cannot truly develop? Psychologists suggest that several powerful emotional forces can make unavailable partners strangely attractive. One reason is the psychology of pursuit. When something feels difficult to obtain, it can become more desirable. This is sometimes called the “scarcity effect.” When a person seems distant or elusive, the attention they do give may feel unusually valuable. Small gestures — a message, a compliment, a brief moment o...
