When most people hear the word love, they think of romantic relationships. But, love is a feeling that affects us all, and it can be expressed in a variety of ways.
Despite the media’s focus on romance, love isn’t just between two individuals; it can encompass a whole range of relationships, including those between friends, family members and even pets.
Love is an intense feeling, and it’s a powerful force that can change the way you live your life. It makes you more willing to try new things and open your mind to new experiences, and it can also make you more confident in yourself.
How Love Works
Research has shown that romantic love is rooted in primitive neural systems that are active when we think about our partners. These systems are geared toward survival, so when you feel that kind of strong connection to your partner, your body’s chemicals can flood your system and make you feel euphoric.
A person’s love style doesn’t have much to do with genetics; it’s largely the result of a person’s personality, past relationship experiences and social influences. Some research has identified three main love styles:
Mania (attractiveness), ludus (commitment) and storge (family love). Ludus involves attraction and lust, while storge is more mature, emotionally mature and trust-based.
When people are in a storge love relationship, they have an intense connection that’s based on mutual respect and trust. They might spend a lot of time together, and it may be easy to end a relationship because they’ve become too close to one another.