What is love? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, love is “A feeling of strong or constant affection for a person; attraction that includes sexual desire; a person you love in a romantic way” (2015). Love can be shown in various ways, the love between a parent and a child, the love between a person and animal, or the love someone has for a particular object or sport, romantic love and the love that is shared between you and your partner. Love is something that is displayed everyday through gestures of kindness, caring and attention. Romantic love is a process that is grown over time whereas lust constitutes instant gratification that is fleeting and most times destructive. In Gary Chapman’s book Understanding the Five Languages of Love, “in order to show your love for someone you are to make “quality time”. Another way to show love is by giving gifts and well-meaning surprises to display fondness for that person. It doesn’t say that in order for that person to love you buy them gifts, the author is stating it's a nice way to express some form of love (Chapman, 1995).
In Shakespeare’s classic tale of Romeo and Juliet, lust at first sight is displayed in its fullness. To love something at first sight demonstrates a strong connection whether spiritually, emotionally or physically to something or someone. A bond is formed and a longing for a deeper connection is born. But is it really love? According to Aaron Ben-Zeev’s article “Is Love at First Sight Possible?”, it is argued that the possibility of love at first sight are usually based on two main reasons - wishful thinking and activities. The first argument implies that it is wishful thinking to believe that two strangers connect on a deep level without knowledge of each other’s characteristics like kindness, honesty, loyalty and sense of humor, also, that physical attraction can constitute love.The second argument that love is not merely based on feelings, but on one’s actions. We distinguish between action readiness and behavioral manifestation by saying that action readiness, rather than actual behavior, underlies emotions (Ben-Zeev, 2013). Therefore, one may feel deeply for another at first sight, but not continue over time in one’s actions in the relationship therefore non-action is perceived as rejection. The fact that love at first sight may be accepted instantly without regard to the possibility of being unreliable information, does not prove that the instance of it can’t be intense. According to research, Ben-Zeev also demonstrates that romantic love is often a perception of idealism and positive illusions, and it is proven that this is the case in long-lasting love as well. So, is love in our heads? Is it the idea of love …show more content…
The writer surveyed married Americans and found that 40 percent of couples married 10 years or greater stated they have remained intensely in love with their partner. The survey was intended to determine whether long-term love was a phenomenon, but researchers found the opposite in even the longest of marriages, 30 years or more, 40 percent of women and 35 percent of men said they were still madly in love. Commitment, laughter, shared values, faith in God, and willingness to allow each other to grow and change were on the top of the list of what creates long-lasting love. Other important items were consciously spending time together, making the relationship about each other and and intimate friendship (Varma-White,
In Shakespeare’s classic tale of Romeo and Juliet, lust at first sight is displayed in its fullness. To love something at first sight demonstrates a strong connection whether spiritually, emotionally or physically to something or someone. A bond is formed and a longing for a deeper connection is born. But is it really love? According to Aaron Ben-Zeev’s article “Is Love at First Sight Possible?”, it is argued that the possibility of love at first sight are usually based on two main reasons - wishful thinking and activities. The first argument implies that it is wishful thinking to believe that two strangers connect on a deep level without knowledge of each other’s characteristics like kindness, honesty, loyalty and sense of humor, also, that physical attraction can constitute love.The second argument that love is not merely based on feelings, but on one’s actions. We distinguish between action readiness and behavioral manifestation by saying that action readiness, rather than actual behavior, underlies emotions (Ben-Zeev, 2013). Therefore, one may feel deeply for another at first sight, but not continue over time in one’s actions in the relationship therefore non-action is perceived as rejection. The fact that love at first sight may be accepted instantly without regard to the possibility of being unreliable information, does not prove that the instance of it can’t be intense. According to research, Ben-Zeev also demonstrates that romantic love is often a perception of idealism and positive illusions, and it is proven that this is the case in long-lasting love as well. So, is love in our heads? Is it the idea of love …show more content…
The writer surveyed married Americans and found that 40 percent of couples married 10 years or greater stated they have remained intensely in love with their partner. The survey was intended to determine whether long-term love was a phenomenon, but researchers found the opposite in even the longest of marriages, 30 years or more, 40 percent of women and 35 percent of men said they were still madly in love. Commitment, laughter, shared values, faith in God, and willingness to allow each other to grow and change were on the top of the list of what creates long-lasting love. Other important items were consciously spending time together, making the relationship about each other and and intimate friendship (Varma-White,