Love is a complex emotion. It is too varied to be summed up in a single emotion, say Pismenny and Prinz (2017). But we can still draw some generalizations about love. The most obvious is that love is a deep, profound experience that transcends the ordinary experiences of life.
Love is an emotion that involves giving and taking. It is not something that can be accumulated, but must be shared. It is the only way to reclaim love. Being vulnerable can help you trust that your partner will not use your flaws against you. Love begins with positive feelings and commitment. Love transforms one’s worldview.
The bestowal view has some truth to it, but it misses some important details. For instance, the object of love is not a value itself; it is a creative response to antecedent values. That is why accounts of love that understand evaluation in terms of appraisal are incomplete. These people have two related worries about the object of their love.
If you are truly in love, you may want to do whatever it takes to support your partner and keep them happy. For example, you may want to move in together and start a family. Or you might want to lift your partner up and help him/her build a career. Love can be a great thing, but it does not mean that it will always be happy.
People who are in love tend to focus on trivial events or objects that remind them of their partner. According to a study published in the journal Motivation and Emotion, this is due to elevated levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. Both hormones increase memory of new stimuli.
Love takes time to develop. The threads of love take time to weave together and form a solid bond. When two people share thoughts and feelings, love takes root. It has its own timetable. But it is worth the wait. So, you shouldn’t rush into a relationship when you’re not ready.
The classical Greeks grouped different types of love into categories. Agape, ludus, and phila were altruistic forms. Eros was the classic romantic form of love. Agape, on the other hand, was the divine love. In short, love is about respecting the individuality of the beloved.
In the beginning of a relationship, it can be hard to distinguish between lust and love. Both are powerful emotions that influence your decisions. For example, Greeks believed that Eros, the god of sexual desire, shot arrows into people in order to make them attracted to him. This belief made love and lust dangerous.
Another popular view emphasizes the importance of robust concern in loving someone. Such a view understands the love of a person as a conative response to the beloved.
