Whether it’s love of a family member, a friend, a lover, or even a pet, everyone has a unique relationship with this universal emotion. This is why the topic of love can be so incredibly wide-ranging, and it’s important to find a way to approach your essay with a fresh perspective.
When writing about love, you’ll want to pique your reader’s interest from the beginning. An intriguing question, a powerful quote, or a vivid anecdote can all be effective hooks that draw your readers in and help them engage with your argument.
While most people agree that love implies feelings of affection, protection, warmth, and respect for another person, there is much debate about what exactly this means. Some people define love as a feeling, others use it to refer to non-human animals or principles, and still others incorporate religious or spiritual meaning into their concept of love.
Despite these disagreements, most scholars and writers agree that love is a complex emotion. Biological models of love describe it as a basic mammalian drive, like hunger or thirst. Psychologists see it as an emotional construct, a mix of primary emotions that includes both attachment and sexual desire. Regardless of its characterization, most researchers agree that love is one of the most powerful experiences humans can have. True love demonstrates that we care about the well-being of others, and that we are willing to put their needs equal to or ahead of our own.