When you love someone, you want the best for them. Whether it’s an intimate partner, a family member, or a friend, you want them to be happy, healthy, and successful. You support them through tough times and cheer them on when they’re succeeding. Love can be messy, complicated, and of course, not social media worthy, but it’s a deeply comforting connection.
It’s easy to see why love has been a favorite topic of philosophers, poets, and writers for centuries. Even though there are many disagreements on the definition of love, there is an overwhelming consensus that it entails strong feelings of affection. Besides people, love can also be used to describe a person’s relationship with non-human animals or their religious beliefs.
There are different types of love based on the emotions involved, such as passion, commitment, and unrequited love. While there are differences in how scientists define love, they generally agree that it encompasses three components: intimacy, attachment, and affection.
However, this doesn’t mean that we have a clear understanding of what it means to truly love someone. Think about the love you have for your parents, your children, or your friends. Love can be expressed in many ways: it’s why you forgive your partner for their idiocy, why you invest in your career goals, and why you root for your team.