As of 2026, people generally view unrequited love as a common and distressing experience that can lead to significant emotional distress, including lowered self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, with research suggesting it occurs about four times more often than mutual love. This perception is rooted in the understanding that unrequited love activates the brain's dopamine reward system, making it hard to let go, and is often linked to personal deficits, low self-esteem, and safer emotional avoidance than mutual vulnerability.