When we love someone, we want to spend time with them and feel happy when they’re around. This is one of the most common definitions of love. But that doesn’t mean that it’s all there is to it. Love can be much more than just liking someone a lot. It can also be caring for them, wanting to help them, and sacrificing for them. For example, when we love someone, we might care for them by taking them to the doctor when they’re sick or giving up our time for them. It can even include making sacrifices like going on vacations or spending more money than you normally would to make sure that they’re taken care of.
While psychologists agree that there are different types of love, many of them can be summed up as being concerned for the well-being of another person or object. It can be as simple as wanting to see your partner succeed or feeling sad when they do well. Other forms of love include feeling affection for someone or a group, admiration of a person’s appearance and character, and a desire to be with that person (or object).
Many people who describe themselves as being in love say it feels dreamy, magical, and perfect. But if you’re writing about love, it can be tempting to go overboard with the melodrama and leave readers feeling a little bit sappy or bitter.
A good way to avoid that is to focus on the specific characteristics of the people you’re writing about. This will add a level of authenticity that’ll make your reader more invested in your characters. For example, instead of saying that your character’s new lover is the most amazing person you’ve ever met, describe how their annoying habit of always checking Instagram at lunch drives you crazy.
You can also use science to help you define love. For example, researchers have found that when you fall in love, it triggers a chemical in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that can make you feel happy and excited.
In addition, when you’re in love, your brain’s reward center becomes more active. This can cause you to want more of the things that you love, including food, alcohol, and drugs.
It’s not surprising that this makes loving others a difficult thing to do. However, there are some people who’ve committed to practicing love throughout their lives and have promoted well-being on a large scale. Examples of these people include Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Maya Angelou, and Oprah Winfrey. Their selfless acts of love have had a profound impact on our world. This type of love is sometimes referred to as spiritual or moral love. However, it can also be experienced as the emotional bonds between lovers, parents, friends, and pets. This type of love involves commitment, care, and sacrifice and is rooted in the image-bearing relationship between God and humans. It includes a mix of altruism, narcissism, and compassion.