Part of a series on Love
Basic Aspects
Love
Love (scientific views)
Human bonding
Historically
Courtly love
Greek love
Religious love
Types of emotion
Erotic love
Platonic love
Familial love
Puppy love
Romantic love
See also
Unrequited love
Problem of love
Interpersonal relationship
Sexuality
Sexual intercourse
Valentine's Day
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Love represents a range of human emotions and experiences related to the senses of affection and sexual attraction. Overview Psychologists have created many descriptive theories of love in an effort to understand the full range of experiences and behaviors associated with love Human bonding refers to the development of a close Interpersonal relationship between family members or friends Courtly love was a Medieval European conception of ennobling love which found its genesis in the ducal and princely courts of Aquitaine, Provence 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 Whether religious love can be expressed in similar terms to interpersonal love is a matter for philosophical debate Amor Platonicus The term amor platonicus was coined as early as the 15th century by the Florentine scholar Marsilio Ficino 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 Puppy love is an informal term for feelings of Love, particularly between young people during Adolescence, so-called for its resemblance to the adoring worshipful NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** Unrequited love is love that is not openly reciprocated even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired Altruism is selfless concern for the welfare of others It is a traditional Virtue in many cultures and central to many religious traditions An interpersonal relationship is a relatively long-term association between two or more people Generally speaking human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings Sexual intercourse, in its biological sense is the act in which the male reproductive organ (in humans and other higher animals enters the female reproductive tract Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a Holiday celebrated on February 14 An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings thoughts and behaviours Affection is defined by the Random House Dictionary as "disposition or state of mind or body ^[1] The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction. Pleasure is commonly conceptualized as a positive experience Happiness, Entertainment, Enjoyment, ecstasy, and euphoria, but is hard Interpersonal attraction (known as biological attraction in animals is the attraction between people which leads to Friendships and romantic This diversity of meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.

As an abstract concept love usually refers to a strong, ineffable feeling towards another person. To say that something is " ineffable " means that it cannot or should not be expressed in spoken words (as with the concept of true love or some Taboo) Even this limited conception of love, however, encompasses a wealth of different feelings, from the passionate desire and intimacy of romantic love to the nonsexual. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** Love in its various forms 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. An interpersonal relationship is a relatively long-term association between two or more people Creative arts is the term used to describe multi-disciplinary forms of creative expression

Contents 1 Definitions 2 Interpersonal love 3 Scientific views 3.1 Chemistry 3.2 Psychology 4 Scientific models 5 References 6 Sources 7 External links

Definitions

The English word love can have a variety of related but distinct meanings in different contexts. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Often, other languages use multiple words to express some of the different concepts which English relies mainly on love to encapsulate; one example is the plurality of Greek words for "love". There are a number of different Greek words for love, as the Greek language distinguishes how the word is used Cultural differences in conceptualizing love thus make it doubly difficult to establish any universal definition. ^[2] American psychologist Zick Rubin try to define love by the psychometrics. Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of Educational and Psychological Measurement, which includes the measurement His work states that three factors consititute love: attachment, caring and intimacy. ^[3][4]

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". In Philosophy, essence is the attribute or set of attributes that make an object or substance what it fundamentally is and which it has by necessity 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 emotionally intimate form of romantic attachment, love is commonly contrasted with lust; and as an interpersonal relationship with romantic overtones, love is commonly contrasted with friendship, though other definitions of the word love may be applied to close friendships in certain contexts. Literature In Dante's Inferno, the first Canticle of the Divine Comedy, the lustful are punished by being continuously Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more beings When discussed in the abstract, love usually refers to interpersonal love, an experience felt by a person for another person. Love often involves caring for or identifying with a person or thing, including oneself (cf. narcissism). Narcissism describes the trait of excessive Self-love, based on Self-image or Ego.

John Major has his own idiosyncratic definition of love. Sir John Major KG CH ACIB (born 29 March 1943 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ^[5] According to this version, the best sort of relationship involves both pints (of beer) and sex; a suboptimal relationship has only beer or sex; but love is what is left in the relationship once beer and sex are removed. The pint is an English unit of Volume or capacity in the imperial system and United States customary units.

In addition to crosscultural 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, though the prior existence of romantic attachments is attested by ancient love poetry. ^[6] 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". A thought-terminating Cliché is a commonly used phrase sometimes passing as folk wisdom used to quell Cognitive dissonance. A proverb (from the Latin proverbium) also called a byword or nayword, is a simple and concrete Saying popularly known and repeated Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 " All You Need Is Love " is a song written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon/McCartney. Bertrand Russell describes love as a condition of "absolute value", as opposed to relative value. Bertrand Arthur William Russell 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970 was a British Philosopher, Historian Theologian Thomas Jay Oord said that to love is to "act intentionally, in sympathetic response to others, to promote overall well-being". Thomas Jay Oord (b 1965) is a Philosopher and Theologian who specializes in research related to love, relational thought (including relational ^[7]

In the Holy Bible1 Corinthians 13 Love is defined as:

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

A person can be said to love a country, principle, or goal if they value it greatly and are deeply committed to it. Similarly, compassionate outreach and volunteer workers' "love" of their cause may sometimes be borne not of interpersonal love, but impersonal love coupled with altruism and strong political convictions. Altruism is selfless concern for the welfare of others It is a traditional Virtue in many cultures and central to many religious traditions People can also "love" material objects, animals, or activities if they invest themselves in bonding or otherwise identifying with that item. If sexual passion is also involved, this condition is called paraphilia. ^[8]

Interpersonal love

Interpersonal love refers to love between human beings. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island It is a more potent sentiment than a simple liking for another. Unrequited love refers to those feelings of love which are not reciprocated. Unrequited love is love that is not openly reciprocated even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired Interpersonal love is most closely associated with interpersonal relationships. An interpersonal relationship is a relatively long-term association between two or more people Such love might exist between family members, friends, and couples. There are also a number of psychological disorders related to love, such as erotomania. Erotomania is a rare disorder whereby a person holds a Delusional belief that another person usually of a higher Social status, is in Love with

Scientific views

Main article: Love (scientific views)

Throughout history, philosophy and religion have done the most speculation on the phenomenon of love. Overview Psychologists have created many descriptive theories of love in an effort to understand the full range of experiences and behaviors associated with love Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos In the last century, the science of psychology has written a great deal on the subject. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and 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. Evolutionary psychology ( EP) attempts to explain mental and psychological traits ��such as Memory, Perception, Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of Biology concerned with the origin of Species from a Common descent, and Descent of species Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of Neuroscience is a field devoted to the scientific study of the nervous system Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles

Chemistry

Biological models of sex tend to view love as a mammalian drive, much like hunger or thirst. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Hunger is a feeling experienced usually followed by a desire to Eat. Thirst is the craving for liquids resulting in the basic Instinct of humans or animals to Drink. ^[9] Helen Fisher, a leading expert in the topic of love, divides the experience of love into three partly-overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. Helen E Fisher (born 1945 is an Anthropology professor and human behavior researcher at the Rutgers University and is one of the major researchers in the field of 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. Literature In Dante's Inferno, the first Canticle of the Divine Comedy, the lustful are punished by being continuously In Biology, mating is the pairing of opposite- Sex or hermaphroditic Organisms for copulation and in Social animals also to raise their Testosterone is a Steroid hormone from the Androgen group In mammals testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the Ovaries Estrogens (US otherwise oestrogens or œstrogens) are a group of Steroid compounds named for their importance in the Estrous cycle, 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. Interpersonal attraction (known as biological attraction in animals is the attraction between people which leads to Friendships and romantic 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. Neuroscience is a field devoted to the scientific study of the nervous system A pheromone (from Greek φέρω phero "to bear" + ‘ορμόνη " Hormone " is a Chemical that triggers a natural Dopamine is a Hormone and Neurotransmitter occurring in a wide variety of animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates Norepinephrine ( INN) (abbreviated norepi or NE) or noradrenaline ( BAN) (abbreviated NA or NAd) is a Serotonin (ˌsɛrəˈtoʊnən ( 5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) is a Monoamine Neurotransmitter synthesized in serotonergic Neurons Amphetamine, and related drugs such as Methamphetamine are a group of drugs that act by increasing levels of Norepinephrine, Serotonin, and Dopamine Pleasure center is the general term for the set of brain structures predominantly the Nucleus accumbens, theorized to produce great Pleasure when stimulated electrically Measuring heart rate The Pulse rate (which in most people is identical to the heart rate can be measured at any point on the body where an Artery 's pulsation Research has indicated that this stage generally lasts from one and a half to three years. ^[10]

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 theory, originating in the work of John Bowlby, is a Psychological, evolutionary and ethological theory that provides a descriptive Human bonding refers to the development of a close Interpersonal relationship between family members or friends Attachment is generally based on commitments such as marriage and children, or on mutual friendship based on things like shared interests. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** CHILD syndrome (or congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) is a genetic disorder It has been linked to higher levels of the chemicals oxytocin and vasopressin than short-term relationships have. Oxytocin ( IPA: /ˌɔksɪˈtoʊsɪn/ (Greek "quick birth" is a Mammalian Hormone that also acts as a Neurotransmitter in the Arginine vasopressin ( AVP) also known as vasopressin, argipressin or antidiuretic hormone ( ADH) is a Hormone found in ^[10] 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. The University of Pavia ( Italian: Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. Nerve growth factor ( NGF) is a small secreted Protein which induces the differentiation and survival of particular target Neurons (nerve Specifically, four neurotrophin levels, i. Neurotrophins are a family of proteins that induce the survival development and function of Neurons. 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. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor also known as BDNF is a Protein encoded by the BDNF Gene. Neurotrophin 3, also known as NTF3, is a human Gene. The Protein encoded by this gene NT-3 is a Neurotrophic factor, in the NGF (Nerve Growth NT-4 like ( BDNF) is a Neurotrophic factor that signals predominantly through the TrkB Receptor tyrosine kinase. The results showed that NGF levels were significantly higher in the subjects in love than as compared to either of the control groups. ^[11]

Psychology

Further information: Human bonding

Psychology depicts love as a cognitive and social phenomenon. Human bonding refers to the development of a close Interpersonal relationship between family members or friends Psychologist Robert Sternberg formulated a triangular theory of love and argued that love has three different components: intimacy, commitment, and passion. Mental health professional A psychologist is a practitioner of Psychology, the systematic investigation of the mind including Behavior, Cognition, Robert J Sternberg (born December 8, 1949) is an American psychologist and psychometrician and the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University The triangular theory of love is a theory of Love developed by Psychologist Robert Sternberg. Intimacy is a form in which two people share confidences 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 permanent. The last and most common 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.

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". ---- Bold text Coulomb's law', developed in the 1780s by French physicist Charles Augustin de Coulomb, may be stated in scalar form 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 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. ^[12] In recent years, various human bonding theories have been developed described in terms of attachments, ties, bonds, and affinities. Human bonding refers to the development of a close Interpersonal relationship between family members or friends

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. Morgan Scott Peck ( 22 May 1936 – 25 September 2005) was a US Psychiatrist and best-selling Author. Peck maintains that love is a combination of the "concern for the spiritual growth of another", and simple narcissism. ^[13] In combination, love is an activity, not simply a feeling.

Scientific models

Biological models of love tend to see it as a mammalian drive, similar to hunger or thirst. Hunger is a feeling experienced usually followed by a desire to Eat. Thirst is the craving for liquids resulting in the basic Instinct of humans or animals to Drink. Psychology sees love as more of a social and cultural phenomenon. There are probably elements of truth in both views — certainly love is influenced by hormones (such as oxytocin), neurotrophins (such as NGF), and pheromones, and how people think and behave in love is influenced by their conceptions of love. Hormones (from Greek ὁρμή - "impetus" are chemicals released by cells that affect cells in other parts of the body Oxytocin ( IPA: /ˌɔksɪˈtoʊsɪn/ (Greek "quick birth" is a Mammalian Hormone that also acts as a Neurotransmitter in the Neurotrophins are a family of proteins that induce the survival development and function of Neurons. Nerve growth factor ( NGF) is a small secreted Protein which induces the differentiation and survival of particular target Neurons (nerve A pheromone (from Greek φέρω phero "to bear" + ‘ορμόνη " Hormone " is a Chemical that triggers a natural The conventional view in biology is that there are two major drives in love — sexual attraction and attachment. Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** Attachment theory, originating in the work of John Bowlby, is a Psychological, evolutionary and ethological theory that provides a descriptive Attachment between adults is presumed to work on the same principles that lead an infant to become attached to its mother. The traditional psychological view sees love as being a combination of companionate love and passionate love. The triangular theory of love is a theory of Love developed by Psychologist Robert Sternberg. Passionate love is intense longing, and is often accompanied by physiological arousal (shortness of breath, rapid heart rate). Companionate love is affection and a feeling of intimacy not accompanied by physiological arousal. The triangular theory of love is a theory of Love developed by Psychologist Robert Sternberg.

Studies have shown that brain scans of those infatuated by love display a resemblance to those with a mental illness. Love creates activity in the same area of the brain that hunger, thirst, and drug cravings create activity in. New love, therefore, could possibly be more physical than emotional. Over time, this reaction to love mellows, and different areas of the brain are activated, primarily ones involving long-term commitments. Dr. Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist, suggests that this reaction to love is so similar to that of drugs because without love, humanity would die out. Andrew Newberg MD is an Associate Professor of Radiology and Psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

References

Sources

• Henry Chadwick and Edzrin. "Saint Augustine Confessions". Oxford University Press, 1998.
• Helen Fisher. Why We Love: the Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love
• Irving Singer, The Nature of Love, in three volumes, Random House (v. 1, 1966), reprinted and later volumes from The University of Chicago Press, 1984. ISBN 0226760944
• 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
• Dorothy Tennov. Love and Limerence: the Experience of Being in Love. New York: Stein and Day, 1979. ISBN 0812861345
• Wood, Wood and Boyd. The World of Psychology. 5th edition. 2005. Pearson Education, 402–403

External links

• The Science of Love
• A whimsical overview of scientific research on love, with reference

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