Love, What exactly is it?

[lassi]

What is love to you and how do you personally know when it is real? I feel that in our society today the meaning of love has been degraded.

[tundravortex]

What is love to you and how do you personally know when it is real?

well shit the word love is being abused nowa days like when a boy says i love you to a girl but really only wants her for sex,now thats sad but to me love is when you have a deep pasion for something or someone like a farm girl with a gun :p .....thats what i love since shes my gf anyway

[lassi]

What is love to you and how do you personally know when it is real?

well shit the word love is being abused nowa days like when a boy says i love you to a girl but really only wants her for sex,now thats sad but to me love is when you have a deep pasion for something or someone like a farm girl with a gun :p .....thats what i love since shes my gf anyway

Hmm interesting I agree :)
I personally think love is real when you don't have to question it. There shouldn't be any doubts.

[tundravortex]

Hmm interesting I agree :)
I personally think love is real when you don't have to question it. There shouldn't be any doubts.

thats what i was going to say but i couldnt word it right :P

[Lovelife090994]

Love, is almost a word that is a flaw to English since other languages have words for many types of love, but in general love can be phrased in one word, unconditional. It's when you love someone no matter what, it's when your dog comes to you after you've served your country for months on end, it's when a mother can love her son no matter what he has done, it's when you can still say you love a person after they tell you their darkest secret, it's when you feel accepted no matter what and when you can tell the one you love back anything, and it's eternal.

[conniption]

Love is when you're emotionally attached to a person and stuff.

[lassi]

Love, is almost a word that is a flaw to English since other languages have words for many types of love, but in general love can be phrased in one word, unconditional. It's when you love someone no matter what, it's when your dog comes to you after you've served your country for months on end, it's when a mother can love her son no matter what he has done, it's when you can still say you love a person after they tell you their darkest secret, it's when you feel accepted no matter what and when you can tell the one you love back anything, and it's eternal.

Well said. I couldn't agree more.

[ImCoolBeans]

I think love is the strongest emotion a person can feel. It makes you do and think things that can be entirely out of character, and drive people to the point of insanity. People kill, lie, steal, end their own lives, and more, all out of love. I think love is one of those things that you just really can't be sure of until you've really experienced it. It's kind of like getting high (maybe a bad example, but it works) in the sense that once it hits you, you just know.

I don't think the meaning of love has been degraded. Divorce rates may be higher than they were in the past, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all couples were happily married and then that changed. People didn't get divorced in previous time periods because it wasn't acceptable; they were expected to stay together regardless of being happy or not. Throughout history men have had mistresses and vice versa -- so I don't really believe that love has really lost its meaning, I think society is just more accepting of married couples parting ways rather than forcing themselves to stay together.

[CharlieHorse]

it's a four letter word

jason mraz reference
0_0

[lassi]

I think love is the strongest emotion a person can feel. It makes you do and think things that can be entirely out of character, and drive people to the point of insanity. People kill, lie, steal, end their own lives, and more, all out of love. I think love is one of those things that you just really can't be sure of until you've really experienced it. It's kind of like getting high (maybe a bad example, but it works) in the sense that once it hits you, you just know.

I don't think the meaning of love has been degraded. Divorce rates may be higher than they were in the past, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all couples were happily married and then that changed. People didn't get divorced in previous time periods because it wasn't acceptable; they were expected to stay together regardless of being happy or not. Throughout history men have had mistresses and vice versa -- so I don't really believe that love has really lost its meaning, I think society is just more accepting of married couples parting ways rather than forcing themselves to stay together.

I agree with you to an extent. You're example of true love giving you a "high" feeling is correct, since love is a form of addiction. However I think that the value of love has definitely been degraded. Today it is much easier to tell someone that you love them without meaning it and this is because our society has made us think that this is okay in a sense.
Yes in the past married couples were forced to stay with one another but the commitment of marriage was more serious overall.

[ImCoolBeans]

I agree with you to an extent. You're example of true love giving you a "high" feeling is correct, since love is a form of addiction. However I think that the value of love has definitely been degraded. Today it is much easier to tell someone that you love them without meaning it and this is because our society has made us think that this is okay in a sense.
Yes in the past married couples were forced to stay with one another but the commitment of marriage was more serious overall.

People have only been marrying out of love for the last century. Marriages are historically arranged -- meaning that the female in the marriage didn't have the option to say no. Today, people marry out of love, and if they realize that there is not true love in the relationship they break the marriage. Which seems more serious?

Marrying out of love is a very new trend; it's false to say that marriage meant much more than financial security and family alliance before this last century. They were more "committed" because there was no second choice.

[lassi]

People have only been marrying out of love for the last century. Marriages are historically arranged -- meaning that the female in the marriage didn't have the option to say no. Today, people marry out of love, and if they realize that there is not true love in the relationship they break the marriage. Which seems more serious?

Marrying out of love is a very new trend; it's false to say that marriage meant much more than financial security and family alliance before this last century. They were more "committed" because there was no second choice.

People today are quick to end their marriages so we are not serious. Take our own generation for example. Our ideas of love are based upon what we see on TV and of course that is not realistic. We get into relationships without fully understanding and give up when things get too difficult. Yeah today people marry out of "love" but many of them don't know what real love is, hence the reason for the increase in the number of divorces.
But this is only my opinion. We shall agree to disagree :)

[ImCoolBeans]

People today are quick to end their marriages so we are not serious. Take our own generation for example. Our ideas of love are based upon what we see on TV and of course that is not realistic. We get into relationships without fully understanding and give up when things get too difficult. Yeah today people marry out of "love" but many of them don't know what real love is, hence the reason for the increase in the number of divorces.
But this is only my opinion. We shall agree to disagree :)

Your points are all so generalized, they're not very hearty. Where do you see any evidence that our views today on marriage are based on TV? Just because a marriage ends doesn't mean that a couple gave up the moment the going got tough. You have no idea what had been going on behind closed doors, or even the closed doors behind those closed doors -- a married couple shares things with each other that some people never find out about -- it's extremely rash to assume that marriages are ended because they gave up without any effort put in. I think any sociologist would agree.

The divorce rate in the U.S. has actually plateaued since the 80's and has gone down almost every year since the 90's. I'm sorry, I just don't think that most of your thoughts are very accurate, you're making very big assumptions based on big generalizations.

[lassi]

Your points are all so generalized, they're not very hearty. Where do you see any evidence that our views today on marriage are based on TV? Just because a marriage ends doesn't mean that a couple gave up the moment the going got tough. You have no idea what had been going on behind closed doors, or even the closed doors behind those closed doors -- a married couple shares things with each other that some people never find out about -- it's extremely rash to assume that marriages are ended because they gave up without any effort put in. I think any sociologist would agree.

The divorce rate in the U.S. has actually plateaued since the 80's and has gone down almost every year since the 90's. I'm sorry, I just don't think that most of your thoughts are very accurate, you're making very big assumptions based on big generalizations.

Okay so I don't know what happens behind closed doors but neither do you so you can't exactly prove my ideas wrong. I am making generalizations based upon what I have seen and experienced. I understand what you are saying but I personally haven't seen much effort between others.

Thank you for sharing your opinion it's always nice to see another perspective of things.

[Synyster Shadows]

I agree with a few things that have been said already. Love is difficult to describe until you really feel it. But seeing that I am in love and in a happy relationship, I'll put in my two cents. I agree with LoveLife090994 that love is unconditional. I mean, my girlfriend is 3,000 miles away from me but that won't discourage me. I want to make this work and meet her when we're older. She self-harms but that doesn't mean I love her any less. I will do my best to help her heal. She's told me some crazy dark secrets that seem unbelievable, but that doesn't mean I love her any less. I also agree with Mikey that love can make people do uncharacteristic things. I haven't witnessed anything myself, but I certainly believe it's true. Really, love is just the one emotion that you can only know once you've felt it, but when you do, it's the best feeling in the world.

[the_dude69]

What is love to you and how do you personally know when it is real? I feel that in our society today the meaning of love has been degraded.

Love is a word created by the human race, to describe the feelings created from dopamine and serotonin. You arent in "love" with the person. You are in "love" with the chemicals which they stimulate.

[Cygnus]

Love is like a lion, it is majestic, but if it isn't tamed it will eat you up.

[Elysium]

Love is a word created by the human race, to describe the feelings created from dopamine and serotonin. You arent in "love" with the person. You are in "love" with the chemicals which they stimulate.
As detached as it is, I agree with this, first and foremost. I'm a huge believer in science and biology, so my first thought in answer to this question is, "a chemical reaction in the brain." On a macroscopic level, it makes us feel any range of emotions and we may act differently under its influence.

[Jean Poutine]

Temporary cognitive dissonance, nonetheless an essential and very pleasurable one.

[sqishy]

The desire to be with someone, share experiences.

A verrry simple look at it. I think it is much more complicated than that, really.

[Cassius]

Love is a truly beautiful thing. It's precious. It's immaculate. It's reliable. It's true to a fault.

When one thinks of love, you usually think of romantic love; despite this fact, I often find that the other types are more important than romantic love. The love from family is what makes you learn to love the other loves. The love from friends is what makes you feel the need to laugh. The love from the Lord is what makes you feel the love of all else. The love from those you hate is what makes you keep youself in check.
The love from romance is what makes you feel in the air.
That's what love is.

Yaaay 100th post

[skiman]

What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more!!!

Jk love is unconditional. Whether they're the ugliest person you know, or they get bad grades or any thing... My gf is not the prettiest, but we've been dating for two years and counting, and I'm 14... That's love, guys. Anyone that is in a week long relationship and says they love the person doesn't know shit about love.

[Cassius]

I understand that people use the term love way too loosely, but I think that time is not the most important part of love. I haven't dated Sam for that long but I truly love her, if that's what it is, that'welll cool.

[tovaris]

An eletrochmical reaction.

[Bleid]

it's a four letter word

jason mraz reference
0_0

Use-mention error. It would have needed quotation marks around it for this reference to be accurately applied!

"Love" is a four-letter word.

"Love" ≠ Love

We must distinguish between a name that represents a concept ("Love") and the concept that the name represents (Love).

Ever heard the quote, "You can't find love in a dictionary." ?

This is what it means.

[Gwen]

What is love to you and how do you personally know when it is real? I feel that in our society today the meaning of love has been degraded.

I think love is a lust and belonging to someone or something. A belonging so strong that no matter how many regrets you have the desire for that/them cannot be shaken. Love is difficult to explain like all emotions and can really only be explained by using other emotions.

[The Trendy Wolf]

What is love to you and how do you personally know when it is real? I feel that in our society today the meaning of love has been degraded.

I was coincidentally considering this just a few days ago.

I believe that there are two different 'levels' of love.

Sexual attraction results from stimulation from someone's characteristics that appeal to that specific person.

Sexual attraction also has potential to become romantic attraction if those loving emotions overcome your own conscious and logical thoughts.

That's also a reason why I believe that people often "can't explain" their own feelings for someone. There are also many stories saying how the people that show hate for someone could also be in love with that person. The reason for this could be that the person has strong attractions towards the other and their own logic is attempting to deny or 'repress' these feelings of love.