Research into romantic couples suggests that the more positively we feel about ourselves, the more likely we are to assume others like us. And the more unworthy we feel, the more likely we are to underestimate how much others like us. How people thought their romantic partner viewed them, the study found, was less a reflection of how their romantic partner actually viewed them and more of a reflection of how they viewed themselves. People say, “You have to love yourself before someone can love you,” because if you don’t love yourself, you won’t notice when they do.
