Love is a deep and powerful emotion that comes in many forms. From the bond with family to the camaraderie with friends to the butterflies from romantic feelings, it enriches our lives and provides support during tough times. However, love needs understanding and care to flourish. For millennia, philosophers, prophets, poets and authors have debated over what love is and how to cultivate it. In recent decades, scientists have become more comfortable with studying it explicitly. They have widened the definition of “love” to include not only romance and a dyadic relationship within the family, but also friendship and altruistic love for all humanity.
In general, there are three types of love: lust, attraction and attachment. For some evolutionary biologists, each of these components has an important role to play: lust for encouraging sexual reproduction, attraction to enable discrimination between healthy mates and attachment to facilitate familial bonding. Others suggest that the concept of love can be split into two basic elements: “love for one’s children,” which is a concern for their health and well-being, and “love of oneself,” which is a desire to feel good about yourself, a form of narcissism.
Most people can relate to feelings of liking and loving someone. Liking involves a physical attraction that includes admiration of a person’s physical appearance and their personality, values and behavior. It can also include admiration for their work ethic or just having fun with them. This type of love is usually short-lived, though it can lead to a long-term relationship.
When you love someone, you value them for who they are down to their soul. This can be shown by a genuine interest in their personal history, passions and interests, as well as an ability to recall and remember them. You are willing to spend time with them and share yourself, even when it’s challenging. You also look forward to celebrating little milestones, like anniversaries or birthdays.
A lot of people get confused between lust, attraction and love. It is hard to distinguish between the different emotions because they all have similar physical and emotional characteristics. Often, when we first meet someone we have an intense feeling of lust and attraction. This is followed by a period of getting to know them and deciding whether they are a match for us.
If you’re looking for a meaningful relationship, try to focus on deeper connections when meeting new people. It can help to join social groups, attend events or explore new hobbies where you can meet potential mates with common interests. This will increase your chances of finding a person with whom you can create a lasting, loving connection. It is also important to trust someone, so that you can open up and share your authentic self with them.