Love: It’s an emotion that can make your heart flutter, cause your palms to sweat and send your brain into overdrive. But it’s also so much more than just a feeling or an attachment to another person. It’s an ongoing commitment to another person, whether platonically or romantically, and a way of life that encompasses everything you do for them. It’s about caring for and valuing the well-being of that person above all else. It’s about giving more than you receive, even if it means sacrificing yourself in the process. It’s about helping them reach their fullest potential, even if you have to put your own needs on hold in the process. It’s about the deep empathy that enables you to step into someone’s shoes and see a situation from their perspective. It’s about trying your best to make them feel happy, valued and worthy.
And despite the myth that “love at first sight” is impossible to replicate, it’s not uncommon for people to fall in love again later in life. But it’s important to remember that not all loves are equal, and it’s crucial to be able to distinguish the difference between real love and lust, infatuation and obsession.
Biological models of love tend to focus on the hormones, neurotrophins and pheromones that are associated with romantic love. These hormones stimulate our brains to feel a rush of excitement and positive emotions, and they can even reduce our chances of physical pain and disease.
But a psychological model of love goes further than that, and considers how our conceptions of love influence our behaviors and decisions. For example, we often feel a strong sense of kinship with those we love, which can lead us to be more open to new experiences and people than we would otherwise be. And this is a great thing! It shows that love can be a powerful force for good, and can be used to promote wellness on a global scale. Just think about people like Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Maya Angelou or Oprah Winfrey, who loved so deeply that they were able to make selfless sacrifices and promote the welfare of others on a grand scale.
Spiritual and religious models of love are just as diverse as their scientific counterparts. For example, Hindus believe that love isn’t just about romance or companionship, but can also be a form of devotion and spirituality. The scripture Bhagavad Gita distinguishes nine different forms of love, including bhakti, which is loving devotion to the Supreme Being. But no matter how you define it, we can all agree that love is complex and multifaceted, but it’s a beautiful and powerful force for good in the world. And we should always strive to keep that in mind, both in our personal and professional lives.