What is Love?
Love: a seemingly simple term that holds enough power to change the world.
The beautiful thing about love is how it occurs in endless forms– living subjectively to each human experience that graces the forever-evolving landscape of human connection. One person’s ideas surrounding love can utterly differ from the next, but this is what makes it such an exceptional thing. I asked five individuals in psychology to share what love means to them.
Photo by Nick Fewings via Unsplash.
“I think love is pure vulnerability coated in the deepest, most magical form of connection. I believe there are three overarching types of love. ‘Self love’ is completely internal: how you treat yourself and nurture your own needs. ‘Relational love’ for whom we’re the closest to…those who know you at your rawest form, that you fully accept for all they are and whose needs you’re attuned to. The third type of love I’ve noticed is a more global love, which is a feeling or light that we emit to the world on a larger scale. It could be giving food to someone in need, or smiling at a person who looks like they are down. This type of love can show itself in gratitude, positive energy, and appreciation for how beautiful the little things around us are. I’m learning more about love everyday. All I know is that love is all around us and in us. It is everything.”
-Amanda Trama, Ph.D., CAPS Staff Psychologist
Photo by Nick Fewings via Unsplash.
“One form of love we forget about is love for our job. We normally call this ‘job satisfaction’, but it includes the same things we consider when thinking about a spouse: whether we have a passion for our job, if we are committed to it, and if the values of our organization match our own values or goals in life. We measure someone's love for work in ways we measure the love we feel toward spouses, tapping into all these ideas, as well as things like whether you intend to leave them or if you see them supporting you in good times or bad. Like love, disliking your job causes you stress, while loving your job may make you live longer. If I had to go outside and march around to get financial support from a spouse, the relationship would probably be over. But me and my job have been together for a while.”
-Christopher Warren, Professor in the Psychology Department
Photo by Nick Fewings via Unsplash.
“Love is like a beautiful piece of art. Love is unique and subjective to each individual. I see love as the willingness to be selfless, while also embracing vulnerability to connect on a deeper level. Love can sometimes feel like a comfort or a risk. Oftentimes, our experiences will influence how we cultivate love and find fulfillment as we navigate through the journey of our lives.”
-Nicole Margiotta, third-year Psychology major
Photo by Nick Fewings via Unsplash.
“From my family back at home, to my wonderful cohort of friends I’ve made along the way, I’m so grateful for those I surround myself with. My community has always been there for me. They’re people I can lean on, people I can go to in a time of need, people I trust. From all nighters in the library to midnight ER runs. That to me is love– these priceless relationships and bonds that we all have. I value mine deeply and know I wouldn’t be where I am without these people and the love they continue to show me.”
-Caleb Calomarde, second-year graduate student in Psychology Human Factors
Photo by Nick Fewings via Unsplash.
“Love is a lot of things. More than often, we tend to associate love with a romantic relationship, but it’s so much more than that. Love is the connection between souls. Love is the time you take to nurture your body and your mind. Love is a ‘how are you?’ text from a friend. Love is an act of kindness towards someone special. Love is eating a home-cooked meal from my mom. Love is the feeling I get when I look at my Schnauzer excited to see me after a long day. To me, love exists on many different levels.”
- Michelle Real, second-year graduate student in School Psychology