Different Meaning of Love

Why is thedifferent meaning of love? Let's first consider the definition of love, which is our most basic understanding. Love has been defined as a "strong positive emotion", a feeling of "warm affection", and "exclusive devotion". Things can be loved, such as hobbies, places or ideas.

People can also be loved, though in varying degrees. There is familial love, which is a bond between parent and child and sibling to sibling. There is the love of humanity, which is an indiscriminate caring about all people. Lastly, there is romantic love that takes place between men and women, a sort of indescribable feeling that recalls to minds phrases like "heavenly", "blissful" and "eternal".

Why Humans Fall In Love

Let's first consider the emotion of love. Some people believe that you cannot truly define love; that it is a special "it" feeling that just happens when two compatible (or possibly destined lovers) meet for the first time. This love only heightens as partners continue to enjoy their romance. There's no doubt that love is a very powerful emotion, capable of bringing out the best in people and the worst in people. The emotion of love is what makes a person deliriously happy or constantly heartsick.

Psychology takes a much more logical view of what humans define as love. It is described as a cognitive and social phenomenon, one that is closely linked with conscious intimacy, as well as the philosophy and expectation of commitment, and passion, which can also be thought of as infatuation and sexual desire.

There are different schools of thought as to what people look for in relationships. Some believe the principle of "opposites attracting" while others argue that similarity in personality is what brings people together. Others have put forth the theory of altruistic love, related to deep concern, and narcissistic love, which is self involved. Psychology questions whether love is truly a feeling and not merely an "act".