The impression of love
Love
Love is a complex set of emotions, behaviors, and beliefs associated with strong feelings of affection, protectiveness, warmth, and respect for another person. Love can also be used to apply to non-human animals, to principles, and to religious beliefs. For example, a person might say he or she loves his or her dog, loves freedom, or loves God.
WHAT IS LOVE?
Love has been a favored topic of philosophers, poets, writers, and scientists for generations, and different people and groups have often fought about its definition. While most people agree that love implies strong feelings of affection, there are many disagreements about its precise meaning, and one person’s “I love you” might mean something quite different than another’s. Some possible definitions of love include:
- A willingness to prioritize another’s well-being or happiness above your own.
- Extreme feelings of attachment, affection, and need.
- Dramatic, sudden feelings of attraction and respect.
- A fleeting emotion of care, affection, and like.
- A choice to commit to helping, respecting, and caring for another, such as in marriage or when having a child.
- Some combination of the above emotions.
There has been much debate about whether love is a choice, is something that is permanent or fleeting, and whether the love between family members and spouses is biologically programmed or culturally indoctrinated. Love may vary from person to person and culture to culture. Each of the debates about love may be accurate in some time and some place. For example, in some instances, love may be a choice while in others it may feel uncontrollable.
LOVE VERSUS LUST
Especially in the early stages of a relationship, it can be difficult to tell the difference between love and lust. Both are associated with physical attraction and an intoxicating rush of feel-good chemicals, coupled with an often overwhelming desire to be closer to another person, but only one is long-lasting: love.
Love is something that is cultivated between two people and grows over time, through getting to know him or her and experiencing life’s many ups and downs together. It involves commitment, time, mutual trust, and acceptance.
Lust, on the other hand, has to do with the sex-driven sensations that draw people toward one another initially and is fueled primarily by the urge to procreate. Characterized by sex hormones and idealistic infatuation, lust blurs our ability to see a person for who he or she truly is and consequently, it may or may not lead to a long-term relationship.
Lust, on the other hand, has to do with the sex-driven sensations that draw people toward one another initially and is fueled primarily by the urge to procreate. Characterized by sex hormones and idealistic infatuation, lust blurs our ability to see a person for who he or she truly is and consequently, it may or may not lead to a long-term relationship.
For instance, Lana is in a committed relationship with Steve and her sexual desire for him is waning. She loves and cares for him, but she finds herself feeling restless and dissatisfied with their physical relationship. When she meets Brendan, she experiences instant feelings of attraction and longing. The chemical messengers in her brain start sending signals to pursue this new man, even though she does not know anything about him other than how his presence makes her feel physically. Instead of working to improve intimacy with her current partner, she is overcome by lust for someone new.
The ideal intimate relationship scenario, some might say, involves a balanced combination of love and lust. After all, lusting after someone is typically an important early phase of a long-term partnership, and reigniting that initial spark is a practice worth cultivating for committed couples.
LOVE AND MENTAL HEALTH
Although almost no one can agree on a single definition of love, most people do agree that love plays a significant role in both physical and psychological well-being. Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of love. Love’s role in mental health is far-reaching, but some examples include:
- The fact that babies who are not shown love and affection in the form of frequent holding and cuddling may be developmentally delayed or ill.
- Feeling unloved is strongly correlated with feelings of low self-esteem and depression.
- People who both feel loved by others and who report loving other people tend to be happier.
- Love can play a role in long-term health, and feeling emotionally connected may help increase immunity.
References:
- Anonymous. (September 2, 2002). How to tell whether it’s love, like or lust. Jet 102.11, 12-14. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ez.trlib.info/docview/199970680/1833AF113A8E4DCAPQ/3?accountid=1229
- Prinz, J. J. (2007). The emotional construction of morals. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Wilson, G. D., & McLaughlin, C. (2001). The science of love. London: Fusion Press.
Last Updated: 03-6-2017
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emmanuel q.
January 1st, 2017 at 11:50 AMi have now realize the difference between love and lustچال روی گونه
March 7th, 2018 at 8:22 AMI love yourl
L
Judy
June 4th, 2017 at 11:39 AMWow i really love this postKailash
June 7th, 2017 at 4:57 AMit is good post.Nicetracy
June 16th, 2017 at 6:58 AMI Love All U Guys Post.,so Let Lov Lead Since We Knw D Meaning Nw..Anne
November 1st, 2019 at 10:56 PMI have a dilemma for you, this is a hypothetical story, OK.
I know someone who is caring, loving, honest, reliable and committed to whatever she does, more than anything she is likeable and staunchly protective of those close to her. She volunteers in her community and people like and respect her, OK so far, yes, good.
Now one day she gets a request for friendship of social media, who is a male just a little younger than her, normally she would dismiss this straight to the bin, but this time something makes her respond to this mystery male. Now this is completely out of character for her to do this, she is a woman that has been happily married for over 40years, why suddenly be tempted to stray from that. But she tells me as soon as he replied to her, she knew, knew what? I asked.
She said it was weird, she just felt an unusual rush of such intense emotions and the sense of familiarity, that she felt overwhelmed and shocked by her reaction. She had at this point not seen what he looked like, so she felt even more confused that these feelings were for some one sight unseen. She told me she knew it was destiny, and she felt she knew him before, and she said when they continued talking she felt she’d come home. What I find strange is the male concerned, felt the same about her. So tell me is it love or is it lust?Bindu
January 3rd, 2020 at 5:32 PMI am very honest when I love a person but over a time feel.. I really love and care but I don’t feel like I am loved….
Then I start thinking What is Love??
There I found and answer…. We are looking outside what we really are….. ” I AM LOVE”
and in Bible I found a word in 1 John 4-8 God is Love… If God is Love then what is Love… Love is God….
Then where is God? Within us
So where is Love within US..
We cannot find LOVE outside… Come to that awareness “I Am LOVE”..
So whatever comes from external with expectations… So we cannot explain its list od the flesh or lust of money.. Or something else….
Truth is “I AM LOVE” when we look it outside for it, we will lose our energy and time…
What we are in this earth part of a character.. I mean.. Same time we act as Father or mother, child, husband, colleague, Boss, according to our situation so we do live as an actor everyday… Playing the role of a husband or wife… Children or brother or sister, friend or colleague… So whatever we feel it’s all emotions…OkoAustin
June 24th, 2017 at 10:45 PMdo love still exist? because I been trying to love but it seems that material things have taking love away from this new generation rather what we experience now is lust amoung our self. inshot I so much like this page thank you so much.Violet
June 26th, 2017 at 8:31 AMLOVE is impossible to define and different for everyone. That sits very well within me.Rahninho
July 4th, 2017 at 8:58 PMWell explained & now gat a primarily know of love isJennifer
July 15th, 2017 at 7:28 AMlove is something u can never express,so strong nd emotionalSahar
November 29th, 2017 at 7:44 AMIm sahar and Im from Iran
This post its very intresting and I agree with this postAhmed T
December 25th, 2017 at 2:44 PMLove’s simply an excuse to get hurt.. By it’s sweetness. I love You all_biira
June 6th, 2018 at 8:39 AMlove is understandablevaibhav k.
January 31st, 2019 at 6:48 AMi love your way of explaining true love..rasheed
February 9th, 2019 at 1:42 AMlove is lifenomfundo
April 3rd, 2019 at 9:23 PMTo me only blibical and love from homes makes sense because from then you’ll be able to pass it onWinter
Jul
love is …………Wil
August 5th, 2019 at 1:43 AMLife is a game and love is the prizeangel
August 7th, 2019 at 4:22 AMthis is one of the best definition about loveL
Krishnendu D
September 1L
Soubhagya Behera
December 12th, 2019 at 2:39 AMIt is helpful.L
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