What is love?

01/02/2022

Love is an emotion that keeps people bonded and committed to one another. From an evolutionary psychology perspective, love evolved to keep the parents of children together long enough for them to survive and reach s*xual maturity.

01/02/2022

In contrast, companionate love is typically found to increase over time.

Although research finds most romantic relationships consist of both passionate and companionate love, it’s the absence or reductions in companionate love, moreso than passionate love, that can negatively affect the longevity of a romantic relationship.

01/02/2022

Although a reduction in passionate love is not experienced by all couples, various studies report approximately 20-40% of couples experience this downturn. Of couples who have been married in excess of ten years, the steepest downturn is most likely to occur over the second decade.

01/02/2022

As partners learn more about each other and become more confident in the long-term future of the relationship, routines develop. The opportunities to experience novelty and excitement can also decline, as can the frequency of s*xual activity. This can cause passionate love to subside.

01/02/2022

Research looking at changes in romantic love over time typically finds that although passionate love starts high, it declines over the course of a relationship.

There are various reasons for this.

27/01/2022

Romantic love consists of two types: passionate and companionate love. Most romantic relationships, whether they be heteros*xual or same s*x, involve both these parts.

27/01/2022

Being “in love” includes all the above but also involves feelings of s*xual arousal and attraction. However, research into people’s own views of love suggests that not all love is the same.

27/01/2022

When we love someone we experience the same positive thoughts and experiences as when we like a person. But we also experience a deep sense of care and commitment towards that person.

27/01/2022

Liking is described as having positive thoughts and feelings towards someone and finding that person’s company rewarding. We often also experience warmth and closeness towards the people we like. In some instances we choose to be emotionally intimate with these people.

27/01/2022

Psychological research over the past 50 years has investigated the differences between liking someone, loving someone and being “in love”.

24/01/2022

24/01/2022

24/01/2022