Defining the Love

Defining love might be the most confusing thing to do. It is difficult to find an accurate
definition of the word since it has a lot of factors; the word love can vary depending on the
situation, and it is also a complex word. Love can be anything. It can be romantic, platonic, or
familial. Love can be shown through expression and action. But one thing is for sure: it is the
most powerful thing that all of us experience and feel.

Love can be romantic. When we hear the word love, most people usually think about boyfriends
or girlfriends, marriages, or just two people having feelings for each other. Romantic love has a
weird feeling or effect that we only feel here. Just by staring at each other, holding hands, or
even talking with a partner, we could feel something tickling in our stomachs, or, as other people
say, "butterflies in your stomach". It can mean different things to other couples, but as long as
your partner shares intimacy and passion, it often leads to a strong, shared commitment to
another person and a lasting relationship (Stritof, 2022).

Love can also be platonic. When two people feel a strong sense of bonding and have a genuine
friendship with anyone. It is an unknown type of love that can often be confused with romantic
love. Some even believe that platonic love is not a thing since it can be impossible for some to
find someone to trust to create a relationship. Aiming to have this love can be hard; it takes time
to build up a deep and meaningful relationship with others. But platonic love is real; they are the
person you trust the most, who cares for you, and who knows who you are.

Lastly, love can be familial. It is the most important type of love since it will decide what we will
become as we grow up. This is where we learn how to love; familial love will be the one that
will shape us to become better citizens and help us create different relationships outside. Having
positive attachments and feeling cared for by your loved ones leads to higher social functioning
later on (Field, 2022). Family is our first love, not our friends or our partners. Many people have
a hard time giving familial love to their children due to personal issues, traumas, and experiences
in life. It’s not easy to show familial love, but it is important and should be given to each of us.

"Love is difficult to define, difficult to measure, and difficult to understand". Love does not only
stop with three things; it even has so many types that it would take too long for us to define each
of them. It is beneficial and can be a great or awful experience for some of us. But it helps you
grow to become a better person. Love may be hard to define, but it is also the thing that will let
us experience challenges and struggles in life that will serve as a great lesson and help us grow to
become a good and better person in the future.
 References:

Stritof, S. (2022). What is romantic love? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-

is-romantic-love-2303236

Gillette, H. (2022, April 12). This is platonic love. Psych Central.

https://psychcentral.com/relationships/platonic-relationship#summary

Field, B. (2022). The importance of family love. Verywell Mind.

https://www.verywellmind.com/family-love-how-to-create-it-and-sustain-it-5193643

Essay about Love - 454 Words | Bartleby. (n.d.). https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Love-

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