Love can be one of the most complicated emotions. There are many different kinds of love, including love for family members, friends, and romantic partners. Often, the way people think of love is influenced by their beliefs and cultures. However, everyone has their own definition of what love means to them.
Many people think of love as a feeling of closeness and passion. This is an important component of love, but it can also include care and protection. It can even include the desire to be around someone all the time, despite having life responsibilities or other relationships.
Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson has studied this concept of love extensively. She has found that love is a complex emotion that can be influenced by hormones such as oxytocin and neurotrophins, but also by cultural constructs. She has argued that love is not a single emotion but rather a spectrum of sentiments that encompasses caring, trust, and loyalty.
When someone says they love you, it can be a very powerful moment. It can cause a person to feel like they belong and that their needs are met. It can even cause a person to imagine (or at least loosely plan) their future with that person. The idea of loving someone so much that they are their priority is very attractive and a lot of people want to experience it at some point in their lives.
But a key difference between this kind of pseudo love and true love is that the latter is based on an understanding of the human condition. It recognizes that the person you love may not always make you happy and that there are certain things that they will inevitably do in their life, regardless of whether or not you approve of them. True love is about a commitment to the long-term and the willingness to be patient through the ups and downs of the relationship.
The problem with pseudo love is that it creates a very dysfunctional dynamic. For example, when someone says “I love you even though” it sets up a narcissistic power play. They get to feel superior for loving something that is “unlovable” and they can also expect the other person to be emotionally indebted to them.
To love someone truly means to recognize their flaws and support them through them. It means being there for them when they are having a bad day and taking care of their needs even when they are not making you happy. It is about putting their needs above your own and knowing that you can count on them to be there for you as well. Love can be difficult, but it is also very rewarding. It is something that is worth fighting for. When you find someone who brings out the best in you and challenges you to be a better person, it is worth committing to them no matter what.
