For millennia, philosophers, prophets, and poets have pondered love—what it is, how to cultivate it, and its various forms. But scientists, until recently, haven’t been comfortable studying it explicitly. In fact, it’s only in recent decades that psychologists have become more comfortable with the idea of studying human love at all. Until now, they have generally used concepts like interpersonal attraction, bonding, and attachment.
A major challenge is the definition of “love.” It can mean different things to different people, making it difficult to conduct research that is genuinely objective. Some people use the word to refer to a romantic relationship, others may use it more broadly to describe a close friendship, and still others may use it to refer to their feelings for the environment or their country. And even within these broad categories, there are a variety of forms of love that can be experienced, such as lust, infatuation, and esteem.
In its most basic form, love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment that can be felt for a person, animal, or thing. When someone says they’re in love, it usually means they feel a deep connection with another person and desire to spend time with them. The feeling is often accompanied by positive emotions, such as joy and happiness, as well as physical responses, such as a rush of adrenaline and dopamine in the brain.
When we love someone, we generally admire them for their external appearance and internal self. In addition, we want to be around them, and we’re likely to seek out ways to spend time with them and make plans together. This feeling of wanting to be with them, or “being in love,” is associated with a jumble of chemicals in the brain, including dopamine, adrenaline, and norepinephrine. These hormones are also responsible for those cheeky blushes, sweaty palms, and fluttering heartbeats that occur when you’re attracted to or in love with someone.
Storge, a more mature form of love, focuses less on the physical and is more about building a shared life with similar interests. It also emphasizes honesty and mutual respect, with open communication and a lack of dependency. You can see this type of love in a parent’s commitment to their child, or a friend’s commitment to a family member who is stuck in a pattern of destructive behavior.
The most important point is that whether love data sgp is a feeling or a choice, it has a profound impact on our lives. It makes us happy, provides support when we’re down, and helps us to grow and flourish as human beings. To truly appreciate the power of love, we must take time to understand what it is and how it works so that we can be intentional about how we choose to show and receive it. To do so requires empathy, vulnerability, honesty, and a belief that we all deserve to be loved.