Love,what is it?

[Takuye]

I've always wondered why we feel love,whether its just the hormones of the physical body making us feel obligated to stay by our mate,or something that resides in the soul itself.A spiritual bond,if you will..What opinons are others here willing to offer on it's meaning and why it is felt?

[Buddha Monkey]

I've always wondered why we feel love,whether its just the hormones of the physical body making us feel obligated to stay by our mate,or something that resides in the soul itself.A spiritual bond,if you will..What opinons are others here willing to offer on it's meaning and why it is felt?
I feel it's the same as any emotion. Something within us (whether it be medical, or spiritual), feel's a connection with something else.

I feel it's spiritual. There is something within the others spirit that make's you feel the strong friendship that is love.

If it was just physical, I wouldn't be so hung up about my ex. I don't feel the need for something physical, just something emotional (now, don't get me wrong, ropes and whips are fun too :D ).

Now, everyone see's this different. I know people who say it is something from a past life. I can see the point. Sometime's I feel such a bound to someone as soon as I meet them.

[DarkWolf]

When you first encounter somebody and start to develop a crush/deep attraction to you can feel it, can't you? These feelings are called biochemical reactions which are triggered by the release of three different types of neurotransmitters: dopamine, noradrenalin and phenylethylamine (PEA). However these neurotransmitters that are triggered by attraction to somebody will eventually decrease. Is it still love? Well yes technically, which is why they are called the "love neurotransmitters". However, if you gain a strong emotional attachment to a person it produces another hormone: oxytonin which makes you powerfully protective of that person and promotes deep caring that lasts a lifetime. This is "true love" and is the same between two life partners or a parent and child. It is the same feelings of care and love, just from different angles of attachment. Same hormone and feelings but can be as a parent or as a lover. Of course only with sexual attraction is there PEA. So oxytonin and PEA give you a long-lasting (possibly a lifetime) of a loving relationship.

However, while oxytonin is essentially permanent for as long as there is that attachment issue, PEA is not. After roughly four years this neurotransmitter disappears. However providing you still have oxytonin you can keep producing dopamine into the frontal lobe of the brain, and this in turn triggers more PEA for sextual attraction to the attachment subject (your partner).

Affairs often occur when there is PEA being triggered by something else and the oxytonin levels are lessening with the current emotional attachment. However oxytonin can still exist without PEA, so the important thing isn't the sex life, the important thing is to keep together and enjoying each other's company - take a picnic together, a day out, anything really to keep oxytonin up. Of course, sex can be important for people: during orgasm oxytonin levels increase five-fold: so a healthy sex life does help: but sex alone does not make a relationship or is actually "love".

Just because love and the effects are hormonal doesn't mean you should value it any less. I mean, you can feel happy from eating because digestion triggers seratonin an endorphin which acts as an antidepressent - but that doesn't mean you should rely on it to solve your problems. Love is still love, it being hormonal neurotiggers doesn't change that.

For a past discussion on love click here (http://www.werewolf.com/vb/showthread.php?t=345 1).

[Nature'sShadow]

I believe love is a physical,psyocologic al(sp), and spiritual emotion. :)

[Tiamot]

Some definitions of Love I found on the net:


Scientific definition of love as I feel: love is formed when attraction, wish and submission to action combine together in human. When we find something attractive in any look or form, the enchantment comes from within, that leads to our wish of any form that leads to submission. This natural behavior erupts through mind and body by reaction. We love one type from many flowers when we are attracted to that one among many types of flowers, from inside we are tempted so we wish, that wish makes to submit to take action to appreciate, pluck or feel by touch or smell, is love. These three processes of nature tempt life form, to act according to natures system.

Philosophical definition of love as I feel: Love is feeling of deep affection for someone who has tempted emotionally for seeking devotion and regard. Two factors contribute one is external appearance and the other is internal appearance (behavior, similarity etc ;). These two main attractions tempt people for wish. The qualities are so pleasant that we internally begin to respect the qualities that lead us to devotion. We feel deep attachment with person and fall in love, it may be mother/ father, son/ daughter, home pets, husband/ wife or friends or anybody who has attracted to invite attention to feel attached. Mother hugs and cares her baby because she is very much attached and can not allow a day/moment missing without seeing her, even if she is out she still has baby in her mind and concerned. We feel as one and part of us so take care and feelings of sacrifice emerges in us. Love is a result of advanced culture and civilizations where people evolved realization.

Spiritual definition of love as I feel: Love is utmost feeling of devotion towards supernatural being. Meaning of this love is sacrifice and surrender to divine. The term “love” was realized firstly by religion for people in the society. God was an icon whom people were tempted to devote, that devotion was called love by religion. So “Love” in religion is realization of divine and sacrifices.


The term “Love” we use in many occasions, I love doing this-that, love him-her-it. What we say “love” influences our mind by its attraction that constantly draws attention towards it by its inspiring qualities. This quality arouses our entity to pull towards it, so our action is submissive and we act as per what the attraction’s objective is! This natural process is the reaction when finds alike environment generated by the attraction. Our brain collects information of the attraction through external parts eyes, nose, ear, and body hair, passes signal to our entity that reacts instantly and brain acts. Chemicals in us react to shape up our body in accordance. When we say or feel love, our body shapes in submission and gives clear indication of arousing of sensation. This also affects our behavior, we act under the influence pulled by attraction and put all our efforts to submit that enchants us. An action in our body is pleasant, so entire body rises and its joyous sense reflects externally. Thus Love feeling is natural medicine to live healthy. Each part of our body is joyous by chemical reaction is also tonic that refreshes the brain.
____________________ ____________________ _________

I personally believe that love, as an intense emotion is a thing that cannot be truly and fully defined. It is a thing that gives us great joy and terrible pain. Even now, I am caught between love's bitter and sweet throes, but could never hope to find words to explain or describe it.

[J.L.R.]

It is nature's trick to make us reproduce... :D

[gingersnaps]

It's a chemical imbalance, kind of like depression, that likes to f...mess people up mentally. Make them believe anything that "one special person" tells them, no matter what. Make people trip head over feet to do anything to please another, even though that other person doesn't. *growls* :mad:


No...I swear I'm not bitter....

[Moon Dweller]

I think it is something to teach us the pains and joys of life!

[RQ]

While I think love starts as nothing more than physical attraction, I also believe that that initial chemical reaction can develop into something more meaningful; something that makes you want to protect and care for your partner. In some it turns into the desire to make demands of and control one's partner, which, of itself, is more the preservation of a way of life than the building of a life together.
If you're lucky enough to find the genuine article, you should be loyal - in some cases grateful - and do your best to maintain a mutually supportive, trusting, solid relationship. Love is a very small word that contains very big, very conflicting ideals. A universe of potential pleasure, and again a universe of potential agony.
Love is what you make of it.

[Rainstorm]

Chemical imbalance caused by the influx and inhalation of certain chemical compositions given off by the other offending party. Tee hee.
GIVE ME THE DRUGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!
Yes ok, superior silliness over with.....
I always believed that it was a combination of chemicals, brain waves, soul sighting, and raw instinct...I don't think it can just be narrowed down to one specific cause.
However, as they say in Practical Magic, "Fall in love as often as you can."
You have to admit, the feeling of being in love is like no other. Delirious....mmmm... ....we need more of that.

[WareW-Believer]

Well, replying to the question in the title of this thread, I think that "Love is a paradox."

Ok now this is off topic but.... A paradox is something that has two meanings in one. An example of such would be the sentence "This sentence is false" which is the liar paradox.
Then there's the double version of the liar paradox which I like to call the "double sided card paradox". Well it consists of a card on one side is "The sentence on the other side of this card is true." The other side of the card says "The sentence on the other side of this card is false." Well thats a little background info for a paradox. (for people who don't know what one is.)

[DarkWolf]

WareW-Believer: Rather than, very badly, explaining what a paradox is for those who are inept at using dictionaries; how about you explain why you think love is a paradox?

[WareW-Believer]

WareW-Believer: Rather than, very badly, explaining what a paradox is for those who are inept at using dictionaries; how about you explain why you think love is a paradox?

Well ok then. I believe that love is a paradox because (I think) that love can have two meanings in one. Love can mean that someone loves you, but that they could also hate you at the same time. From what I've interpreted anyway. I realize that this is confusing but that's what I think. It's hard to explain. PM me if you want.

[DarkWolf]

That isn't a paradox. Love and Hate, despite popular belief, are entirely mutually exlusive of each other. The emotional attachments and chemical neurotransmitters are different and they don't care if they share the same trigger.

They are characteristics that trigger the differing transmitters and emotions and so both emotions are felt towards the same target. I fail to see how that makes it a paradox. They are two completely different emotions that don't communicate with each other. For it to be a paradox situation you'd need to have the chemical neurotransmitters be the same for both love and hate and trigger independently for the same triggers. A paradox is where two conflicting statements about the same subject are true. Love and hate are NOT conflicting hormones. You can love somebody and hate somebody both for the same reasons and it's still not a paradox because emotions and endorphins produced for love and hate are non-conflicting. Being in love with somebody and having all those endorphins in your system does not interfere with any hate emotions that may be produced.

[Silent_Darkstalker]

Well, what is love?

I personally, think it has something to do with your primal instinct as well as something spiritual. Its an emotion just like any other. that will usually throw out reason and logic out the window. same as anger, or excitement.

I'm not so sure as to how to really explain it. Personally, like i stated already, there is some kind of spiritual connection. that i think science can only explain so far. and its mixed with some kind of primal instinct, that in a sense, science explains. hence all the nero thingys going along in the brain. theres something else then that. something deeper that no microscope can see.

how is it that a heartless killer, at one point in life seen something so loveing that he gives mercy to his victum without knowing it. weather its letting ther person go, or just killing ther person faster so the person wont feel much pain.
bad analogy? perhaps.

just a feeble attempt to try and explain what it is.
there are many explainations to this questions, many hit good points and many dont. but to find a "real" explination, dont think there really is one. but then again who am i to say anything. heh.

just my two cents.
signing off,
suicidal puppy... :P

[WareW-Believer]

That isn't a paradox.


Fine just forget I even said anything. But like I said "It's hard for me to explain."

[Madame_wolf]

Don't think LOVE as itself as an emotion, look at love as more of an idea or action. It, more or less is wanting the best for the other person, animal, possession,brother, or whatever. Love, as I see it is just wanting the best or higher good for what ever you are "loving". Sure there are emotions tied in with that, like it being forever, or passion, lust, but love is an action you can "do" for anything. It all depends what emotions are tied to the action of loving. For example: if you love your sister and you see her get hurt, you may feel remorse when you see her hurt and not let anything like that happen to her ever again because you care and want the best for her. That doesn't mean you feel lust for her or passion to woo her into bed, because you feel that type of love for someone that you feel you want to spend the rest of your life with or you want that type of closeness with them that you never want to see them hurt. And the whole "If you love them, set them free" thing, states love plain and simple: If you truely do love someone, you'd want to have the best for them, or whatever makes THEM happy.


The simple action of love is complicated with human emotion like any other "action" that us homo sapiens do. Of course seeing love just as an "action" is very unromantic, but with all the wonder, hope, sorrow, and happiness that us pesky humans tend to feel, it makes it more, I supppose ,"mystical".

[Binkx]

Love is an intense emotion of caring felt by a person for another person. There are many diffrent types of love such as puppy love, true love, family love, friendship love, but they are all based off a feeling felt strongly for someone else.

People would die for the person(s) they love. They are always somehow in their thoughts. Worry is basic for the concept of love, as is jealousy. But those who can work through it are better off than those who just fight about it.

Puppy Love is that love you feel when you are little that doesn't last very long.

First Love...is that person that you love above the puppy love level, the first person you feel strongly for. Even if you go your seperate ways after some time, you still love this person for the rest of your life, even if it isn't as much as you had once loved them. There will always be a part of you that will bring those thoughts and emotions back even if you never get with them again (nor want to).

True Love...this one I'm not sure if it atually exist or not. This is the one person that you could not go on without...some never find it, and some do. Some loose there's to tragic accidents. But this is the one person who you will feel lost with out and lean on for support, and be with for the rest of their lives.



Yeah...Sorry if that makes no sense what so ever, I have a pretty bad headache right now v_v.

[Madame_wolf]

Love is an intense emotion of caring felt by a person for another person. There are many diffrent types of love such as puppy love, true love, family love, friendship love, but they are all based off a feeling felt strongly for someone else.

People would die for the person(s) they love. They are always somehow in their thoughts. Worry is basic for the concept of love, as is jealousy. But those who can work through it are better off than those who just fight about it.

Puppy Love is that love you feel when you are little that doesn't last very long.

First Love...is that person that you love above the puppy love level, the first person you feel strongly for. Even if you go your seperate ways after some time, you still love this person for the rest of your life, even if it isn't as much as you had once loved them. There will always be a part of you that will bring those thoughts and emotions back even if you never get with them again (nor want to).

True Love...this one I'm not sure if it atually exist or not. This is the one person that you could not go on without...some never find it, and some do. Some loose there's to tragic accidents. But this is the one person who you will feel lost with out and lean on for support, and be with for the rest of their lives.



Yeah...Sorry if that makes no sense what so ever, I have a pretty bad headache right now v_v.
That is your prospective... like you said, people die for love and what not and they also sometimes kill, that's not love. If someone were to kill you because you didn't love them, that's sounds a little fucked up. Like they have issues. Dying for love as in what? Romeo and Juliet die or scarificing your life to save the person you love.

I'm currently in love. I still see it as an action though. Even though, I still feel other emotions like passion and I ultimately care alot for this person. But you can feel passion and what not outside of love, so you can't just classify love into catagories,as in for a lover. Love is a simple concept, but there are very strong feelings tied in with that which make it not so simple.

[LV426]

Love sucks. When it's gone you only wish you could die but you don't so you just live in an eternal hell of knowing that there isn't love even when you have it to give.