Love

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For other uses, see Love (disambiguation).

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Love

Types of love[hide]

 Affection
 Bonding
 Broken heart
 Compassionate love
 Conjugal love
 Courtly love
o courtship
o troubadours
 Free love
 Friendship
o romantic
o zone
 Interpersonal relationship
 Intimacy
 Limerence
 Love addiction
 Love at first sight
 Love triangle
 Lovesickness
 Lovestruck
 Obsessive love
 Passion
 Platonic love
  Puppy love
 Relationship
 Romance
 Self-love
o Amour de soi
 Unconditional love
 Unrequited love

Cultural views[hide]

 Chinese
o Ren
 Greek
o words for love
o Agape
o Eros
o Philia
o Storge
o Xenia
 Indian
o Kama
o Bhakti
o Mettā
 Islamic
o Ishq
 Jewish
o Chesed
 Latin
o Amore
o Charity

Related subjects[hide]

 Biological basis
 Love letter
 Valentine's Day
 Philosophy
 Religious views
 Falling in love
o Mere-exposure effect
 o similarity
o physical attractiveness
o triangular theory of love

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Part of a series on

Emotions

 Acceptance
 Affection
 Amusement
 Anger
 Angst
 Anguish
 Annoyance
 Anticipation
 Anxiety
 Apathy
 Arousal
 Awe
 Boredom
 Confidence
 Contempt
 Contentment
 Courage
  Cruelty
 Curiosity
 Depression
 Desire
 Despair
 Disappointment
 Disgust
 Distrust
 Ecstasy
 Embarrassment
 Empathy
 Enthusiasm
 Envy
 Euphoria
 Fear
 Frustration
 Gratification
 Gratitude
 Greed
 Grief
 Guilt
 Happiness
 Hatred
 Hope
 Horror
 Hostility
 Humiliation
 Interest
 Jealousy
 Joy
 Kindness
 Loneliness
 Love
 Lust
 Outrage
 Panic
 Passion
 Pity
  Pleasure
 Pride
 Rage
 Regret
 Social connection
 Rejection
 Remorse
 Resentment
 Sadness
 Saudade
 Schadenfreude
 Self-confidence
 Shame
 Shock
 Shyness
 Sorrow
 Suffering
 Surprise
 Trust
 Wonder
 Worry

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Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most
sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection and to the simplest pleasure.[1][2] An
example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse,
which differs from the love of food. Most commonly, love refers to a feeling of strong attraction and
emotional attachment.[3]
Love is also considered to be a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection, as
"the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another".[4] It may also describe
compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one's self or animals.[5]
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.[6] Love has
been postulated to be a function to keep human beings together against menaces and to facilitate
the continuation of the species.[7]
Ancient Greek philosophers identified five forms of love: essentially, familial
love (in Greek, Storge), friendly love or platonic love (Philia), romantic love (Eros), guest love (Xenia)
and divine love (Agape). Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of love: unrequited
love, empty love, companionate love, consummate love, infatuated love, self-love, and courtly love.
Asian cultures have also distinguished Ren, Kama, Bhakti, Mettā, Ishq, Chesed, and other variants
or symbioses of these states.[8][9] The triangular theory of love suggests "intimacy, passion and
commitment" are core components of love. Love has additional religious or spiritual meaning. 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