Dating, communication and Promenad

In 2018, there were over 2.1 million marriages. And considering there are many other couples who haven't tied the knot just quite yet, that's a lot of Americans who are in love! But if you're like many other singles, you might not feel as lucky. You might even feel like there's no such thing as love. What is love, exactly? Does it really exist? We'll answer these questions and more!

What is Love?

Let's first define love. Most dictionary entries describe it as an intense feeling where you have deep affection for someone.

Humans are a complicated species, so it stands to reason that love is complicated as well. There's not just one type. We typically feel both platonic and romantic love. Platonic love is where you have deep affection for someone but you're not sexually attracted to this person. You can have platonic love for your friends, siblings, parents, and others who you have close relationships with. You can even have it for your pets! On the other hand, romantic love is where you have deep affection for someone in a sexual way. This type of love is usually reserved for life partners who are the perfect match for you.

Why love exists is so we can form meaningful and strong bonds with other human beings. Our strong social ties are how humankind has progressed successfully throughout the years and has especially helped us out before the inventions of modern technology and medicine. Of course, it's helped us to reproduce as well!

Does Love Exist?

As you might be able to guess from the above sections, love definitely exists. Chances are, you have a family member and/or friend you care deeply about and can truly say you love them.

For those of you who have had really bad luck with romance, it might feel like love just plain doesn't exist. But the truth is, love does exist, and science has proved it! Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher conducted a study in 2005 on love. It showed that when the subjects were shown pictures of people they romantically loved, their brains became active with dopamine, which is a feel-good neurotransmitter. Their brains also became active in the caudate nucleus and the ventral tegmental area.

What's interesting about these 2 areas of the brain is they're associated with reward detection, sensory experiences, pleasure, focused attention, and rewards. So, as you can see, love definitely exists!

Find True Love Today

So, what is love? It's an almost indescribable feeling where you associate good thoughts and affection toward another person. Because of this, it's possible to have both platonic and romantic love. If you've been unlucky in romantic love, then don't give up just yet. Love definitely exists; you just have to search harder and longer for it in some cases.