The English word love
can refer to a variety of
different feelings, states,
and attitudes, ranging
from pleasure ("I loved
that meal") to
interpersonal attraction
("I love my partner"). It
can refer to an emotion
of a strong affection and
personal attachment . [1]
It can also be a virtue
representing human
kindness, compassion,
and affection"the
unselfish loyal and
benevolent concern for
the good of another". [2]
And it may describe
compassionate and
affectionate actions
towards other humans,
one's self or animals. [3]
In terms of interpersonal
attraction, four forms of
love have traditionally
been distinguished,
based on ancient Greek
precedent: the love of
kinship or familiarity (in
Greek, storge ), the love
of friendship (philia ), the
love of sexual and/or
romantic desire (eros ),
and self-emptying or
divine love (agape ). [4][5]
Modern authors have
distinguished further
varieties of romantic
love. [6] Non-Western
traditions have also
distinguished variants or
symbioses of these
states .[7] This diversity
of uses and meanings,
combined with the
complexity of the
feelings involved, makes
love unusually difficult to
consistently define,
compared to other
emotional states.
Love in its various forms
acts as a major
facilitator of
interpersonal
relationships and, owing
to its central
psychological
importance, is one of the
most common themes in
the creative arts .[8]
Love may be understood
as part of the survival
instinct, a function to
keep human beings
together against
menaces and to facilitate
the continuation of the
species. [9]