Ask two people what they think love is and you will get two completely different answers. For most people love is a combination of things which are often quite confusing. Love can be respect or trust, burden or blessing and wonderful or terrifying.
People filter everything they experience and it allows them to have different perceptions on different experiences. This is why the perception of love is different for different people. We can now talk about the importance of love in our lives.
Studies conducted in the 1950s by Harry Harlow came to the result that humans need to experience the feeling of being loved to have a steady and healthy life. He came to this conclusion after undertaking psychological tests on people in relationships and people in isolation.
In addition to this, Abraham Maslow, who worked closely with Harry Harlow was able to establish that all people, regardless of age, sex, location, and origin had a basic set of needs. This theory becomes widely known as “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”.
Maslow argued that all humans need social interaction. Once all the basic needs of life have been met, people look to form alliances in the form of family, friends and intimate relationships.
The essense of loving someone and being loved is beautiful for most people. It represents an acceptance of others and being accepted by others. People who struggle to form loving relationships may suffer from an array of negative mindsets.
Those that do not love, feel that they are not loved, and lack a sense of “belonging” to the people in their lives can experience any of the following symptoms and/or emotions:
1. Many may feel extremely lonely. This may just affect one area of life, or several areas. It is possible to feel loved at home, and not feel this emotion among others.
3. A feeling of anxiety in social context when around people.
3. Depression is often experienced by those that fail to experience love in their life.
4. Depression and negative thoughts may in some cases lead to suicidal tendencies. In some rare cases, the thoughts are followed by action.
As you can see, feeling loved, and actually loving someone else in return is a very important element when it comes to feeling good about who we are and the lives that we lead. What is love? Love is when you can feel good without harming another or yourself. It is about a two way street that involves trust and respect. It is about identifying the best in others, as well as ourselves.