Love in a Senior’s Life

Aniqa Imtiyaz A. Lomondot

“When you are young, they assume you know nothing. But I knew you.”
(Verses from Taylor Swift’s Cardigan, 2020). The song focuses on a teenage love
story that ends with James’ infidelity towards his lover, Betty. The song takes place
in High School in America, where two teenagers who are curious about love mature
after their first relationship. So is the case often found in the love lives of Senior High
School students. A relationship will be left with a wider perspective of love.

Senior High puts the students under stressors due to the number of activities and
lessons they absorb each term. However, Kilical (2020) says that love brings out
changes in our hormones, which include serotonin and dopamine. Increased levels
of dopamine and serotonin corelates to increased levels of happiness and creativity,
along with decreased levels of stress, depression, and anxiety. It also serves as an
opportunity for them to grow emotionally and develop social skills to better
understand people (Office of Population Affairs, 2022). Despite the multiple pros,
adolescent relationships also have numerous cons. In a teenager, the most common
trigger for major depressive disorders are “break-ups”. They may also exhibit sexual
behaviour early to avoid losing the relationship. If handled poorly, they may
experience more mood swings and conflict than a student who was not involved in
any romantic situation (Collins et al., 2008 Sep 11). All these factors will affect their
studies and goals negatively and may cause them to fail classes as a result.

A senior falling in love may experience heartbreak for the first time. Likewise, they
may also experience how love will change and support them for the better. In the
face of cons, the lessons that come with the relationship prove that it is worth it to fall
in love. Relationships prepare the young student for mature and healthy connections
later in life with those around them. As said in Swift’s song “Gold Rush” (2020), love
life for a senior is “falling feels like flying till the bone crush.”

Reference page
Kilical B. 2020 Feb 7. Love, relationships and health: The benefits of being in love. Anne
Arundel Medical Center. https://living.aahs.org/heart-vascular/love-relationships-and-health-
the-surprising-benefits-of-being-in-love/.

Office of Population Affairs. 2022. Healthy Relationships in Adolescence | HHS Office of

Population Affairs. opahhsgov. https://opa.hhs.gov/adolescent-health/healthy-relationships-
adolescence.

Collins A, Welsh D, Furman W. 2008 Sep 11. [accessed 2023 Jan 10].
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Deborah-Welsh/publication/23499643_Adolescent_Ro
mantic_Relationships/links/00b49526fd73b237cb000000/Adolescent-Romantic-
Relationships.pdf.