Love is an intense feeling of affection related to a sense of strong loyalty or profound
oneness.
[] The meaning of
love varies relative to context.
Romantic love is seen as an
ineffable feeling of intense attraction shared in
passionate or intimate
attraction and
intimate interpersonal and
sexual relationships.
[1] Though often linked to personal relations, love is often given a broader
signification, a love of
humanity, of
nature, with
life itself, or a oneness with the
Universe, a universal love. Love can also be construed as
platonic love,
[2] religious love,
[3] familial love, and, more casually, great affection for anything considered strongly pleasurable, desirable, or preferred, to include activities and foods.
[4][1] This diverse range of meanings in the singular word
love is often contrasted with the plurality of
Greek words for love, reflecting the concept's depth, versatility, and complexity.
Definitions
The definition of
love is the subject of considerable debate, enduring speculation and thoughtful introspection. The difficulty of finding a universal definition for love is typically tackled by classifying it into types, such as passionate love, romantic love, and committed love. These types of love can often be generalized into a level of sexual attraction. In common use,
love has two primary meanings, the first being an indication of adoration for another person or thing, and the second being a state of relational status. Love is an act of identifying with a person or thing, capable of even including oneself (cf.
narcissism;
reverence). Dictionaries tend to define
love as deep affection or fondness.
[0] In colloquial use, according to polled opinion, the most favored definitions of
love involve
altruism, selflessness, friendship, union, family, and bonding or connecting with another.
Thomas Jay Oord has defined love in various scholarly publications as acting intentionally, in sympathetic response to others (including God), to promote overall well-being. Oord means for his definition to be sufficient for research in ethics, religion, and science.
The different aspects of
love can be roughly illustrated by comparing their corollaries and opposites. As a general expression of positive sentiment (a stronger form of
like), love is commonly contrasted with
hate (or neutral
apathy). As a less sexual and more mutual and "pure" form of romantic attachment, love is commonly contrasted with
lust, and as an interpersonal relationship with romantic overtones, love is commonly contrasted with
friendship. Other connotations of
love may be applied to close friendships as well.
The very existence of love is sometimes subject to debate. Some categorically reject the notion as false or meaningless. Others call it a recently-invented
abstraction, sometimes dating the "invention" to courtly Europe during or after the Middle Ages. Others maintain that love really exists, and is not an abstraction, but is undefinable, being essentially
spiritual or
metaphysical in nature. Some psychologists maintain that love is the action of lending one's "boundary" or "
self-esteem" to another. Others attempt to define love by applying the definition to everyday life.
Cultural differences make any universal definition of love difficult to establish. Expressions of love may include the love for a
soul or
mind, the love of laws and organizations, love for a body, love for nature, love of food, love of money, love for learning, love of power, love of fame, love for the respect of others, etc. Different people place varying degrees of importance on the kinds of love they receive. Love is essentially an abstract concept, easier to experience than to explain. Because of the complex and abstract nature of love, discourse on love is commonly reduced to a
thought-terminating cliché, and there are a number of common
proverbs regarding love, from Virgil's "Love conquers all" to
The Beatles' "
All you need is love".
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You can help Wikipedia by removing weasel words. |
Scientific views
Throughout history,
philosophy and
religion have done the most speculation on the phenomenon of love. In the last century, the science of
psychology has written a great deal on the subject. In recent years, the sciences of
evolutionary psychology,
evolutionary biology,
anthropology,
neuroscience, and
biology have added to the understanding of the nature and function of love.
Chemistry of love
- See main: Interpersonal chemistry.
Biological models of sex tend to view love as a
mammalian drive, much like
hunger or
thirst.
[6] Helen Fisher, a leading expert in the topic of love, divides the experience of love into three partly-overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust exposes people to others, romantic attraction encourages people to focus their energy on mating, and attachment involves tolerating the spouse long enough to rear a child into infancy.
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
pheromones,
dopamine,
norepinephrine, and
serotonin, which act similar to
amphetamines, stimulating the brain's
pleasure center and leading to side-effects such as an 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.
[7]
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 which promotes relationships that last for many years, and even decades. Attachment is generally based on commitments such as
marriage and
children, or on mutual friendship based on things like shared interests. It has been linked to higher levels of the chemicals
oxytocin and
vasopressin than short-term relationships have.
[7]
In 2005, Italian scientists at
Pavia University found that a protein molecule known as the
nerve growth factor (NGF) has high levels when people first fall in love, but these levels return to as they were after one year. Specifically, four
neurotrophin levels, i.e. NGF, BDNF, NT-3, and
NT-4, of 58 subjects who had recently fallen in love were compared with levels in a control group who were either single or already engaged in a long-term relationship. The results showed that NGF levels were significantly higher in the subjects in love than as compared to either of the control groups.
[8]
Psychology of love
- Further information: Human bonding
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 by which two people can share secrets and various details of their personal lives. Intimacy is usually shown in friendships and romantic love affairs. Commitment, on the other hand, is the expectation that the relationship is going to last forever. The last and most common form of love is sexual attraction and passion. Passionate love is shown in infatuation as well as romantic love. This led researchers such as Yela to further refine the model by separating passion into two independents components: erotic passion and romantic passion.
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 like themselves. However, in a few unusual and specific domains, such as immune systems, it seems that humans prefer others who are unlike themselves (e.g. with an orthogonal immune system), since this will lead to a baby which has the best of both worlds.
[9] In recent years, various
human bonding theories have been developed described in terms of attachments, ties, bonds, and affinities.
Some Western authorities disaggregate into two main components, the altruistic and the narcissistic. This view is represented in the works of
Scott Peck, whose works in the field of applied psychology explored the definitions of love and evil. Peck maintains that love is a combination of the "concern for the spiritual growth of another", and simple narcissism.
[10] In combination, love is an
activity, not simply a feeling.
Philosophical views
'Sacred Love versus Profane Love' by Giovanni Baglione
People, throughout history, have often considered phenomena such as "
love at first sight" or "instant friendships" to be the result of an uncontrollable
force of attraction or affinity.
[11] One of the first to theorize in this direction was the Greek philosopher
Empedocles, who in the 4th century BC argued for the existence of two forces, love (
philia) and strife (
neikos), which were used to account for the causes of motion in the universe. These two forces were said to intermingle with the
classical elements, i.e., earth, water, air, and fire, in such a manner that love served as the binding power linking the various parts of existence harmoniously together.
Later,
Plato interpreted Empedocles' two agents as
attraction and
repulsion, stating that their operation is conceived in an alternate sequence.
[12] From these arguments, Plato originated the concept of "likes attract", e.g., earth is attracted to earth, water to water, and fire to fire. In modern terms this is often phrased in terms of "birds of a feather flock together".
Bertrand Russell describes love as a condition of "absolute value", as opposed to
relative value.
Thomas Jay Oord defines love as acting intentionally, in sympathetic response to others (including God), to promote overall well-being. Oord means for his definition to be adequate for religion, philosophy, and the sciences.
Robert A. Heinlein, one of the most prolific science fiction writers of the 20th century, defined love in his novel
Stranger in a Strange Land as the point of emotional connection which leads to the happiness of another being essential to one's own well being. This definition ignores the ideas of religion and science and instead focuses on the meaning of love as it relates to the individual.
Also, an ancient proverb states that love is a high form of tolerance. This view is one that many philosophers and scholars have researched, and is widely accepted.
Religious views
| The neutrality of this section is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
The
Bible speaks of love as a set of attitudes and actions that are far broader than the concept of love as an emotional attachment. Love is seen as a set of behaviors that humankind is encouraged to act out. One is encouraged not just to love one's partner, or even one's friends but also to love one's enemies. The Bible describes this type of active love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:
| Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. | |
Romantic love is also present in the Bible, particularly the
Song of Songs. Traditionally, this book has been interpreted allegorically as a picture of God's love for Israel and the Church. When taken naturally, we see a picture of ideal human marriage:
[13]
| Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealously unyielding as the grave. It burns like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned. | |
The passage
dodi li v'ani lo (
Hebrew: דודי לי ואני לו), i.e. "my beloved is mine and I am my beloved", from
Song of Songs 2:16, is an example of a biblical quote commonly engraved on wedding bands.
The Bible states love is a characteristic of God.
I John 4:8 states "God is Love". In essence, God is the epitomy of love - in action and relation. It is God that first loved mankind and desired a relationship. (John 3:16-17) Love is the underlying drive in most people. The search for love seems endless within the human race, throughout the ages. The Bible defines God as being the completeness of love. Love, as being defined by Him, is demonstrated in his character and personality. Another way of defining this type of love is "godly love", a love shown through the example of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. However, this "sacrificial" love can also be expressed by humans, although imperfectly. For example, the love of a mother for her child. Many mothers would sacrifice anything for their children. It is this type of love that the Bible teaches us to follow and to share with one another. Love, in the end, is truly a sacrifice, ultimately expressed in the
crucifixion of
Jesus as described in the
New Testament. C.S. Lewis discusses Christian ideas about love in his book
The Four Loves
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of
Christian Science, defines Love as one of 7 synonyms for God. This indicates that Deity is more than a being that has benevolent concerns for mankind, but rather that God is Love itself. Love is also synonymous with Principle, Mind, Soul, Spirit, Life, and Truth and indicate the depth and wholeness of Love.
In
Aramaic, the language that
Jesus spoke, there are six words for Unconditional Love (Kenoota, Khooba, Makikh, Abilii, Rukha and Dadcean Libhoun) which are untranslatable and are all translated as the one word “Love” in the English Bible. They are explained
here
The
Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture, helps devotees to see that love conquers all. It says, "Sattva—pure, luminous, and free from sorrow—binds us to happiness and wisdom" (Number 6).
Sattva, translated as purity, helps one to see that love evolves from selflessness.
Cultural views
Although there exist numerous cross-cultural unified similarities as to the nature and definition of love, as in there being a thread of commitment, tenderness, and passion common to all human existence, there are differences.
Throughout history, predominantly,
philosophy and
religion have speculated the most into the phenomena of love. The sciences of
evolutionary psychology,
evolutionary biology,
anthropology,
neuroscience, and
biology have begun to take center stage in discussion as to the nature and function of love. The general consensus supposes that the phenomenon and process of love is subject to the
laws of science just as is anything in the universe.
See also
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References
1.
^ [1]
2.
^ Kristeller, Paul Oskar (1980). Renaissance Thought and the Arts: collected essays. Princeton University. ISBN 0691020108.
3.
^ Mascaró, Juan (2003). The Bhagavad Gita. Penguin Classics. ISBN 0140449183. (J. Mascaró translator)
4.
^ Casual application of the word
love also includes
idiomatic expressions and uses with differing connotations. For example, as a sardonic expression of disapproval: "I just love how politicians always make empty promises."
5.
^ Oxford Illustrated American Dictionary (1998) +
Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (2000).
6.
^ Lewis, Thomas; Amini, F., & Lannon, R. (2000). A General Theory of Love. Random House. ISBN 0-375-70922-3.
7.
^ Winston, Robert (2004).
Human.
Smithsonian Institution.
8.
^ Emanuele, E. Polliti, P, Bianchi, M. Minoretti, P. Bertona, M., & Geroldi, D. (2005). “Raised plasma nerve growth factor levels associated with early-stage romantic love.”
Abstract. Psychoneuroendocrinology, Nov. 09.
9.
^ Berscheid, Ellen; Walster, Elaine, H. (1969). Interpersonal Attraction. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.. CCCN 69-17443.
10.
^ Peck, Scott (1978). The Road Less Traveled. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-25067-1.
11.
^ Fisher, Helen (2004). Why We Love – the Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-6913-5.
12.
^ Jammer, Max (1956). Concepts of Force. Dover Publications, Inc.. ISBN 0-486-40689-X.
13.
^ Bible, 8:6-7, NIV.
Further reading
- Roger Allen, Hillar Kilpatrick, and Ed de Moor, eds. Love and Sexuality in Modern Arabic Literature. London: Saqi Books, 1995.
- Shadi Bartsch and Thomas Bartscherer, eds. Erotikon: Essays on Eros, Ancient and Modern. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.
- Mary Baker Eddy, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. 2006
- Helen Fisher. Why We Love: the Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love
- Gabriele Froböse, Rolf Froböse, Michael Gross (Translator): Lust and Love: Is it more than Chemistry? Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry, ISBN 0-85404-867-7, (2006).
- bell hooks, ''. New York: Harper Perennial, 2000.
- Johnson, P (2005) 'Love, Heterosexuality and Society'. Routledge: London.
- Thomas Jay Oord, Science of Love: The Wisdom of Well-Being. Philadelphia: Templeton Foundation Press, 2004.
- R. J. Sternberg. A triangular theory of love. 1986. Psychological Review, 93, 119–135
- R. J. Sternberg. Liking versus loving: A comparative evaluation of theories. 1987. Psychological Bulletin, 102, 331–345
- Sternberg, Robert (1998). Cupid's Arrow - the Course of Love through Time. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-47893-6.
- Dorothy Tennov. Love and Limerence: the Experience of Being in Love. New York: Stein and Day, 1979. ISBN 0-8128-6134-5
- Dorothy Tennov. A Scientist Looks at Romantic Love and Calls It "Limerence": The Collected Works of Dorothy Tennov. Greenwich, CT: The Great American Publishing Society (GRAMPS), http://www.gramps.org/limerence
- Wood, Wood and Boyd. The World of Psychology. 5th edition. 2005. Pearson Education, 402–403
- Jones, Del. "One of USA's Exports: Love, American Style" USA Today: February, 14, 2006.
External links
Courtly love was a medieval European notion of ennobling love which found its genesis in the ducal and princely courts in regions of present-day southern France at the end of the 11th century.
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Greek love is a relatively modern coinage (generally placed within quotation marks) intended as a reference to male bonding and intimate relations between males as practised in Ancient Greece, as well as to its application and expression in more recent times, particularly in a
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religious love can be expressed in similar terms to interpersonal love is a matter for philosophical debate. Religious 'love' might be considered a euphemistic term, more closely describing feelings of deference or acquiescence.
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Eroticism is an aesthetic focus on sexual desire, especially the feelings of anticipation of sexual activity. It is not only the state of arousal and anticipation, but also the attempt through whatever means of representation to incite those feelings.
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Platonic love in its modern popular sense is a non-sexual affectionate relationship, especially in cases where one might easily assume otherwise. A simple example of platonic relationships is a deep, non-sexual (i.e.
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In sociology, familial love is a type affinity or natural affection felt between members of a group bound by common ancestry or blood ties, or through friendship and care. Familial love can also be experienced through kindhearted teachers to their students too.
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This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article.
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..... Click the link for more information. human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings.[1] The study of human sexuality is comprised of a broad range of behaviors, processes, and societal topics.
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Sexual intercourse or copulation is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals.[1] The two entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails.
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Saint Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day is a holiday on February 14. It is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other; sending Valentine's cards or candy. It is very common to present flowers on Valentine's Day.
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Affinity in terms of sociology, refers to "kinship of spirit", interest and other interpersonal commonalities. Affinity is characterized by high levels of intimacy and sharing, usually in close groups, also known as affinity groups.
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Cohabitation is an emotional and physical intimate relationship which includes a common living place and which exists without legal or religious sanction.
Description
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Concubinage is the state of a woman or youth in an ongoing, quasi-matrimonial relationship with a man of higher social status. Typically, the man has an official wife and, in addition, one or more concubines.
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Courtship, traditionally the wooing of a female by a male that, for example, includes activities such as dating (dinner and a movie, a picnic, or general "hanging out"), along with other forms of activity, such as meeting online (also known as virtual dating), chatting on-line,
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Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse.
It can be contrasted with an annulment, which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal
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A dowry (also known as trousseau) is either the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage or a gift of money or property by a man to or for his bride.
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Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more humans. This article focuses on the notion specific to interpersonal relationships.
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worldwide view of the subject.
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Family is a Western term used to have denote a domestic group of people, or a number of domestic groups linked through descent (demonstrated or stipulated)
..... Click the link for more information. A husband is a male participant in a marriage.
Origin and etymology
The term husband refers to Middle English huseband, from Old English hsbnda, from Old Norse hsbndi
..... Click the link for more information. Infatuation is the state of being completely carried away by unreasoning passion or love; addictive love. Infatuation usually occurs at the beginning of relationship when sexual attraction is central.
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..... Click the link for more information. Jealousy typically refers to the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that occur when a person believes a valued relationship is being threatened by a rival. This rival may or may not know that he or she is perceived as a threat. The opposite of jealousy is compersion.
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Limerence, as posited by psychologist Dorothy Tennov, is an attempt at a scientific study into the nature of romantic love. The meaning of the word, which was coined by Tennov in 1977, is an involuntary
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Monogamy is the custom or condition of having only one mate in a relationship, thus forming a couple. The word monogamy comes from the Greek word monos, which means one or alone, and the Greek word gamos, which means marriage or union.
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Nonmonogamy is a blanket term covering several different types of interpersonal relationship in which some or all participants have multiple marital, sexual, and/or romantic partners.
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Although there exist numerous cross-cultural unified similarities as to the nature and definition of love, as in there being a thread of commitment, tenderness, and passion common to all human existence, there are differences.
Throughout history, predominantly, philosophy and religion have speculated the most into the phenomena of love. The sciences of evolutionary psychology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, neuroscience, and biology have begun to take center stage in discussion as to the nature and function of love. The general consensus supposes that the phenomenon and process of love is subject to the laws of science just as is anything in the universe.
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Hilary Duff WIth Love Official Full Version (HQ)" 
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Hilary Duff With Love Official (HQ)" 
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this love maroon 5" 
Leona Lewis Bleeding Love (Official US Music Video)" 
Whitesnake Is This Love" 
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Whitney Houston I Will Always Love You" 
scrubs guy love" 
Haddaway What Is Love From Movie Night In Roxbury Nick" 
Ne Yo Sexy Love" 
Maroon 5 This love" 
Nicole Scherzinger Baby Love" 
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