Love
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For other uses, see Love (disambiguation).
Part of a series on
Love
Types of love
Affection
Bonding
Broken heart
Compassionate love
Conjugal love
Courtly love
o courtship
o troubadours
Falling in love
Friendship
o cross-sex
o romantic
o zone
Interpersonal relationship
Intimacy
Limerence
Love addiction
Love at first sight
Love triangle
Lovesickness
Lovestruck
Obsessive love
Passion
Platonic love
Puppy love
Relationship
Romance
Self-love
o Amour de soi
Unconditional love
Unrequited love
Social views
Anarchist
o Free love
Chinese
o Ren
o Yuanfen
French
o Amour-propre
Greek
o words for love
o Agape
o Eros
o Ludus
o Mania
o Philautia
o Philia
o Philos
o Pragma
o Storge
o Xenia
Indian
o Kama
o Bhakti
o Maitrī
Islamic
o Ishq
Jewish
o Chesed
Latin
o Amore
o Charity
Portuguese
o Saudade
Yaghan
o Mamihlapinatapai
Concepts
Color wheel theory of love
Biological basis
Love letter
Love magic
Valentine's Day
Philosophy
Religious views
o love deities
Mere-exposure effect
Similarity
Physical attractiveness
Triangular theory of love
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Part of a series on
Emotions
Acceptance
Affection
Amusement
Anger
Angst
Anguish
Annoyance
Anticipation
Anxiety
Apathy
Arousal
Awe
Boredom
Confidence
Contempt
Contentment
Courage
Curiosity
Depression
Desire
Disappointment
Disgust
Distrust
Doubt
Ecstasy
Embarrassment
Empathy
Enthusiasm
Envy
Euphoria
Faith
Fear
Frustration
Gratification
Gratitude
Greed
Grief
Guilt
Happiness
Hatred
Hope
Horror
Hostility
Humiliation
Interest
Jealousy
Joy
Kindness
Loneliness
Love
Lust
Nostalgia
Outrage
Panic
Passion
Pity
Pleasure
Pride
Rage
Regret
Rejection
Remorse
Resentment
Sadness
Self-pity
Shame
Shock
Shyness
Social connection
Sorrow
Suffering
Surprise
Trust
Wonder
Worry
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e
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Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from
the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the
simplest pleasure.[1][2] An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother
differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love of food. Most commonly,
love refers to a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment.[3]
Love is considered to be both positive and negative, with its virtue representing
human kindness, compassion, and affection, as "the unselfish loyal and benevolent
concern for the good of another" and its vice representing human moral flaw, akin
to vanity, selfishness, amour-propre, and egotism, as potentially leading people into a
type of mania, obsessiveness or codependency.[4][5] It may also describe compassionate
and affectionate actions towards other humans, one's self or animals. [6] In its various
forms, love acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships and, owing to its
central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative
arts.[7] Love has been postulated to be a function that keeps human beings together
against menaces and to facilitate the continuation of the species.[8]
Ancient Greek philosophers identified six forms of love: essentially, familial
love (in Greek, Storge), friendly love or platonic love (Philia), romantic love (Eros), self-
love (Philautia), guest love (Xenia) and divine love (Agape). Modern authors have
distinguished further varieties of love: unrequited love, empty love, companionate
love, consummate love, infatuated love, self-love, and courtly love. Numerous cultures
have also
distinguished Ren, Yuanfen, Mamihlapinatapai, Cafuné, Kama, Bhakti, Mettā, Ishq, Che
sed, Amore, Charity, Saudade (and other variants or symbioses of these states), as
culturally unique words, definitions, or expressions of love in regards to a specified
"moments" currently lacking in the English language. [9][10][11]
Scientific research on emotion has increased significantly over the past two decades.
The color wheel theory of love defines three primary, three secondary and nine tertiary
love styles, describing them in terms of the traditional color wheel. The triangular theory
of love suggests "intimacy, passion and commitment" are core components of love.
Love has additional religious or spiritual meaning. This diversity of uses and meanings
combined with the complexity of the feelings involved makes love unusually difficult to
consistently define, compared to other emotional states.
Contents
1Definitions
2Impersonal
3Interpersonal
o 3.1Biological basis
o 3.2Psychological basis
o 3.3Evolutionary basis
o 3.4Adaptive benefit
o 3.5Comparison of scientific models
4Cultural views
o 4.1Ancient Greek
o 4.2Ancient Roman (Latin)
o 4.3Chinese and other Sinic
o 4.4Japanese
o 4.5Indian
o 4.6Persian
5Religious views
o 5.1Abrahamic
o 5.2Indian
6Political views
o 6.1Free love
7Philosophical views
8See also
9References
10Sources
11Further reading
12External links
Definitions
Romeo and Juliet, depicted as they part on the balcony in Act III, 1867 by Ford Madox Brown
The word "love" can have a variety of related but distinct meanings in different contexts.
Many other languages use multiple words to express some of the different concepts that
in English are denoted as "love"; one example is the plurality of Greek words for
"love" which includes agape and eros.[12] Cultural differences in conceptualizing love thus
doubly impede the establishment of a universal definition. [13]
Although the nature or essence of love is a subject of frequent debate, different aspects
of the word can be clarified by determining what isn't love (antonyms of "love"). Love as
a general expression of positive sentiment (a stronger form of like) is commonly
contrasted with hate (or neutral apathy). As a less-sexual and more-emotionally
intimate form of romantic attachment, love is commonly contrasted with lust. As an
interpersonal relationship with romantic overtones, love is sometimes contrasted
with friendship, although the word love is often applied to close friendships or platonic
love. (Further possible ambiguities come with usages "girlfriend", "boyfriend", "just good
friends").
Fraternal love (Prehispanic sculpture from 250–900 AD, of Huastec origin). Museum of
Anthropology in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Abstractly discussed, love usually refers to an experience one person feels for another.
Love often involves caring for, or identifying with, a person or thing (cf. vulnerability and
care theory of love), including oneself (cf. narcissism). In addition to cross-cultural
differences in understanding love, ideas about love have also changed greatly over
time. Some historians date modern conceptions of romantic love to courtly Europe
during or after the Middle Ages, although the prior existence of romantic attachments is
attested by ancient love poetry.[14]
The complex and abstract nature of love often reduces discourse of love to a thought-
terminating cliché. Several common proverbs regard love, from Virgil's "Love conquers
all" to The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love". St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle,
defines love as "to will the good of another." [15] Bertrand Russell describes love as a
condition of "absolute value," as opposed to relative value.[citation needed] Philosopher Gottfried
Leibniz said that love is "to be delighted by the happiness of another." [16] Meher
Baba stated that in love there is a "feeling of unity" and an "active appreciation of the
intrinsic worth of the object of love."[17] Biologist Jeremy Griffith defines love as
"unconditional selflessness".[18]
Impersonal
People can be said to love an object, principle, or goal to which they are deeply
committed and greatly value. For example, compassionate outreach and volunteer
workers' "love" of their cause may sometimes be born not of interpersonal love but
impersonal love, altruism, and strong spiritual or political convictions. [19] People can also
"love" material objects, animals, or activities if they invest themselves in bonding or
otherwise identifying with those things. If sexual passion is also involved, then this
feeling is called paraphilia.[20] A common principle that people say they love is life itself.
Interpersonal
Relationships
(Outline)
Types
Activities
Endings
Emotions and feelings
Affinity
Attachment
Intimacy
Jealousy
Limerence
Love
o Platonic
o unconditional
Passion
Sexuality
Practices
Abuse
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Interpersonal love refers to love between human beings. It is a much more potent
sentiment than a simple liking for a person. Unrequited love refers to those feelings of
love that are not reciprocated. Interpersonal love is most closely associated
with Interpersonal relationships.[19] Such love might exist between family members,
friends, and couples. There are also a number of psychological disorders related to
love, such as erotomania. Throughout history, philosophy and religion have done the
most speculation on the phenomenon of love. In the 20th century, the science
of psychology has written a great deal on the subject. In recent years, the sciences
of psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, and biology have added to the
understanding the concept of love.
Biological basis
Main article: Biological basis of love
Biological models of sex tend to view love as a mammalian drive, much
like hunger or thirst.[21] Helen Fisher, an anthropologist and human behavior researcher,
divides the experience of love into three partly overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and
attachment. Lust is the feeling of sexual desire; romantic attraction determines what
partners mates find attractive and pursue, conserving time and energy by choosing; and
attachment involves sharing a home, parental duties, mutual defense, and in humans
involves feelings of safety and security. [22] Three distinct neural circuitries, including
neurotransmitters, and three behavioral patterns, are associated with these three
romantic styles.[22]
Pair of Lovers. 1480–1485
Lust is the initial passionate sexual desire that promotes mating, and involves the
increased release of chemicals such as testosterone and estrogen. These effects rarely
last more than a few weeks or months. Attraction is the more individualized and
romantic desire for a specific candidate for mating, which develops out of lust as
commitment to an individual mate forms. Recent studies in neuroscience have indicated
that as people fall in love, the brain consistently releases a certain set of chemicals,
including the neurotransmitter hormones, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, the
same compounds released by amphetamine, stimulating the brain's pleasure
center and leading to side effects such as increased heart rate, loss
of appetite and sleep, and an intense feeling of excitement. Research has indicated that
this stage generally lasts from one and a half to three years. [23]
Since the lust and attraction stages are both considered temporary, a third stage is
needed to account for long-term relationships. Attachment is the bonding that promotes
relationships lasting for many years and even decades. Attachment is generally based
on commitments such as marriage and children, or mutual friendship based on things
like shared interests. It has been linked to higher levels of the
chemicals oxytocin and vasopressin to a greater degree than short-term relationships
have.[23] Enzo Emanuele and coworkers reported the protein molecule known as
the nerve growth factor (NGF) has high levels when people first fall in love, but these
return to previous levels after one year. [24]
Psychological basis
Further information: Human bonding
Grandmother and grandchild in Sri Lanka
Psychology depicts love as a cognitive and social phenomenon. Psychologist Robert
Sternberg formulated a triangular theory of love and argued that love has three different
components: intimacy, commitment, and passion. Intimacy is a form in which two
people share confidences and various details of their personal lives, and is usually
shown in friendships and romantic love affairs. Commitment, on the other hand, is the
expectation that the relationship is permanent. The last form of love is sexual attraction
and passion. Passionate love is shown in infatuation as well as romantic love. All forms
of love are viewed as varying combinations of these three components. Non-love does
not include any of these components. Liking only includes intimacy. Infatuated love only
includes passion. Empty love only includes commitment. Romantic love includes both
intimacy and passion. Companionate love includes intimacy and commitment. Fatuous
love includes passion and commitment. Lastly, consummate love includes all three
components.[25] American psychologist Zick Rubin sought to
define love by psychometrics in the 1970s. His work states that three factors constitute
love: attachment, caring, and intimacy.[26][27]
Following developments in electrical theories such as Coulomb's law, which showed
that positive and negative charges attract, analogs in human life were developed, such
as "opposites attract". Over the last century, research on the nature of human mating
has generally found this not to be true when it comes to character and personality—
people tend to like people similar to themselves. However, in a few unusual an
