You meet someone and your heart starts racing.
It is easy to think, “I must like them.”
Maybe you do. But a fast heartbeat can also come from a new place, a scary bridge, an interview, expectation, or caffeine.
A feeling needs context
The famous “suspension bridge effect” is often told as a story about falling in love. The original study was much narrower than that.
Arousal can affect how we read a moment. It does not measure long-term compatibility.
What to notice instead
Do you enjoy talking in a calm place too?
Do you want to know their values and the way they treat people?
A racing heart may be a beginning. It is not a final answer.