After all, what is love? For more than half (53 percent) of all citizens, love and partnership are the most important happiness factors in their lives, according to a study. Only health can overcome love. Love is a big and multifaceted emotion. We begin an attempt to explain, we want to present you with the different forms and questions in which feelings are expressed.
Often asked: What is love?
The Duden describes love as a “strong feeling of being attracted, a feeling based on affection for a person [close]”. Anyone wondering what love means does not initially turn on the mind, it turns on the heart. Individual sensory impressions result from this. Every person feels different when they love someone. Therefore, there is no general definition. But there are a few points most people should agree on: Love is a feeling that is difficult to describe and one that really makes emotions boil over.
The difference between loving and being in love
If you are just starting a love relationship, you have only partially reached the heart of love at the beginning. Because the fool falling in love with a new romance happens suddenly, sometimes even unexpectedly, and it can bring you down. When you’re in love, this is expressed by butterflies in your stomach and it feels like you can see everything through rose-colored glasses. This is due to a cocktail of hormones that is dumped into the body during this exciting time and ensures this state of emergency. But this increase in motivation and energy is usually not permanent.
So the answer to the question “What is love?” It’s not just being in love. Because what follows the initial euphoria phase is often much more intense and encompassing.
The definition of love makes it clear that it is a process.
True love takes time to develop. It matures with the hours, days, and years you spend with the other person. You cannot bring about a feeling of deep connection through kindness or favors. A happy relationship lasts for years because it is characterized by mutual love and deeply anchored affection.
What types of love are there in relationships?
Anyone who has found love knows that, for the most part, it doesn’t just seem like the unrealistic Hollywood ideal. No wonder, because there are different forms of love. What does love mean? The answer is different depending on the context:
- First love: everything is strange, new and so different – but what is love in this initial context? Feelings go on a merry-go-round, you experience things, you laugh and cry. Mainly, it remains a unique feeling that you will remember forever and that shapes the following love affairs. But there’s one thing you should be aware of: the first partner doesn’t always have to be the best and last.
- Eternal love: this is probably most people’s dream. A love that lasts forever and doesn’t fade or go out – a lid that fits on the pot for life. Whether it was love at first sight or developed over a long period of time, this type is forever.
- Late love: Even when I’m looking for a partner from the age of 50, it’s not too late for a great love. Many couples who met at an advanced age can tell a song about it – because only then do many people know exactly what they want and who suits them.
- New Love: After a breakup, many people want nothing more than to fall in love again. Most of the time, you’ll see it when you least expect it. The feeling of a new chapter in love is even more beautiful.
- Forbidden love: what is it? When you maintain a relationship with your partner for the sake of comfort, security, or the kids, and you may fall in love with someone else as a result. Unlike other forms of love, everything here is hidden and perhaps that is why it has its charm – but it is and continues to be unfair to the current partner.
Does love mean selfishness?
“Selfless love is absurd. Love is selfish, as almost everything in life is selfish,” says philosopher Richard David Precht. For him, selfishness has its justification – and in this regard, he makes a clear judgment: “We love for the sake of our own soul.” The question “What is love?” Therefore, it is partially associated with selfishness in philosophy. However, it is not an end in itself. Of course, unrequited love isn’t a particularly satisfying affair, and yet it exists. However, healthy love must always consist of give and take so that both partners feel empowered in their own perception. Selfishness must be kept within limits.
What is love: needs and facts
Regardless of the internal psychological processes from which love develops and develops, it manifests itself in demands and needs. When this is accomplished, we can speak of a long-term partnership based on true love. Therefore, what is love goes beyond saying “I love you”.
1. Trust
At the heart of all love is unconditional trust. Because only those who meet their peers with honesty and openness act from the heart. From this unshakable foundation of trust, there follows a fundamental security and, therefore, the basis for a happy coexistence. Love is not a requirement and is based on mutual trust and appreciation.
2. Love in definition: Passion
It is not without reason that passion and love are often used in the same context – according to Duden, these two terms are even synonymous. Because in love, a passionate component must not be missing. This manifests in tenderness, physical attraction, and intimacy. Feelings of love result in an irresistible heat in the heart.
3. What does love mean? respectful treatment
A completely natural component is to treat each other with respect and care. The need crystallizes in mutual justice and acceptance. The meeting at eye level is an important point for us to be together. Only those who can accept their partner’s quirks and negative sides and don’t want to change the other in their own interest really love.
4. Love in good times and in bad times
If you really love, you will go through good times and bad times together. You pursue common and individual goals and support each other, although there are sometimes obstacles in your way. Even in times of crisis, you cling to each other, you can trust each other and get through this together. This also means: nothing makes you happier than making your partner happy. That’s not to say your partner can’t mind their own business. Sometimes this means understanding that the loved one needs the freedom not to give up their individuality.
5. Security
The question “What is love?” It can also be answered safely. Today you are surrounded by loose contacts, fleeting acquaintances, and superficial encounters. But those who feel love not only have a harmonious relationship – they also know who to let go of. This also goes hand in hand with the fact that you can be who you really are to someone you love.
Conclusion: love does not have a general answer, but diverse needs
Everyone feels and feels love differently, which is why it is difficult to derive a definition of love. An individual feeling manifests in every human relationship. But the common denominator remains. Love develops over time. It is embodied in various needs such as: blind trust, absolute affection, give and take, and the ability to be together and happy – no matter what. It is important that it does not disappear to the bottom and rust. Because it does not exist without your intervention and must be taken care of.
If you have already found your love’s happiness, enjoy it, and don’t forget to confess your love to each other continuously. If you are single, you can be sure that love exists and will come your way if you keep your eyes open.