Exploring the Reality of Love: Perspectives from Science and Society

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In summary, Warren believes that love is real and that it can be identified with a chemical state in the brain. He also believes that love is great when it is taken to the bedroom.
  • #1
Carly
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"Do you feel love is real?"

I was listening to the Smashing Pumpkins' songs today and one of the lyrics was "Do you feel love is real?"
I was just wondering what your views on love were because I know people think of love in different ways.
...plus its Valentine's Day soon
 
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  • #2
Love is absolutely real. Every time I have entered in a relationship deeper and more successful than my last, I have "rediscovered" love to be more than I had previously suspected.

What I have so far discerned is that you cannot love two people in the quite the same way -- the word "love" really gets redefined again and again with each new relationship. If anything, that's evidence of love's reality to me.

- Warren
 
  • #3
Its a matter of definition really. Is love what hallmark would like you to believe? No, that's a load of bull. Is love in the "romantic" sense real? No.

Its a set of chemical states in the brain. Nothing more. A hormonal reaction to certain stimulus. Thats all.
 
  • #4
The taste of my favorite ice cream is also just a chemical state in my brain, but that doesn't diminish my appreciation of it.

Besides, Carly asked if we felt that love is real. If "love" can be identified with a discernable chemical state in the brain, then it's most certainly as real as that discernable chemical state.

- Warren
 
  • #5
Oh, what a question! Of course it is! Regardless of what is causing it, there is absolutely no question about the overwhelming empirical evidence of its causes, whatever "it" actually is.
 
  • #6
Real or not, love is great when you take it to the bedroom.

Note: Keyboards at school suck ass.
 
  • #7
JasonRox said:
Real or not, love is great when you take it to the bedroom.

What's wrong with other places? :confused: :wink:
 
  • #8
chroot said:
Love is absolutely real. Every time I have entered in a relationship deeper and more successful than my last, I have "rediscovered" love to be more than I had previously suspected.

What I have so far discerned is that you cannot love two people in the quite the same way -- the word "love" really gets redefined again and again with each new relationship. If anything, that's evidence of love's reality to me.

- Warren
What a romantic. :approve:
 
  • #9
I personally don't think love is real. All it does is make people too emotional..
 
  • #10
chroot said:
Love is absolutely real. Every time I have entered in a relationship deeper and more successful than my last, I have "rediscovered" love to be more than I had previously suspected.

What I have so far discerned is that you cannot love two people in the quite the same way -- the word "love" really gets redefined again and again with each new relationship. If anything, that's evidence of love's reality to me.

- Warren

Am really glad you think that.
Of course, there's always doubts after break-ups but that's usual.
 
  • #11
Bladibla said:
I personally don't think love is real. All it does is make people too emotional..

If it isn't real, how does it make people so emotional?

But it can be a bit like trying to catch a glimpse of an endangered species. Elusive, rare, hiding in unexpected places, but when you finally find it, it's beautiful.
 
  • #12
OT: You can catch glimpses of endangered species at www.arkive.org. Glimpsing them in the wild, of course, is a horse of another color.
 
  • #13
love lasts 5 minutes. after that it's time for a cigar.
 
  • #14
etc said:
love lasts 5 minutes. after that it's time for a cigar.


Sounds like you've got a problem with being premature.

As i said, "love" in the romantic sense does not exist. Don't selectively wuote me and argue against that. Sure, there is a chemical state in the brain called "love", but that is not love in the "romantic" sense.
 
  • #15
Lust is chemistry.
Love is giving up your favorite Hooters shirt.
 
  • #16
Ivan Seeking said:
Lust is chemistry.
Love is giving up your favorite Hooters shirt.

One's interpretation of that statement depends on who is wearing the shirt when asked to get rid of it. :wink:
 
  • #17
Moonbear said:
One's interpretation of that statement depends on who is wearing the shirt when asked to get rid of it. :wink:

Should we consider this an admission? :rofl:
 
  • #18
Ivan Seeking said:
Should we consider this an admission? :rofl:

I admit to nothing. o:)
 
  • #19
Moonbear said:
I admit to nothing. o:)

When you're drunk you sure do.
 
  • #20
Does this ultimately explain the Moon part of Moonbear? :eek:
 
  • #21
Ivan Seeking said:
Does this ultimately explain the Moon part of Moonbear? :eek:

Uhh, nope. Moon has nothing to do with ridding oneself of shirts. :rofl:
 
  • #22
Come on Moonbear, I know you can keep up. :biggrin:
 
  • #23
Ivan Seeking said:
Come on Moonbear, I know you can keep up. :biggrin:

o:) o:) Why, Ivan, I have no idea what you're talking about. *bats eyelashes and flips blonde hair* :rofl:
 
  • #24
franz, what do you mean by "love in the romantic sense"?
 
  • #25
hypnagogue said:
franz, what do you mean by "love in the romantic sense"?


hallmark, valentine's day, gone with the wind, anything out of hollywod. Any ideal idea of it.
 
  • #26
hypnagogue said:
franz, what do you mean by "love in the romantic sense"?

I think that goes along with the line, "I love you, but I'm not in love with you." :rolleyes:
 
  • #27
Moonbear said:
I think that goes along with the line, "I love you, but I'm not in love with you." :rolleyes:
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

*Adds to list of evidence that the idea of love is a load of bs*
 
  • #28
How do you mean that it doesn't exist? Some people certainly act that way... and some of those people do it out of a genuine emotion.
 
  • #29
hypnagogue said:
How do you mean that it doesn't exist? Some people certainly act that way... and some of those people do it out of a genuine emotion.


Love is a hormonal condition to create an urge to breed. Thats all. That is what i mean.
 
  • #30
franznietzsche said:
Love is a hormonal condition to create an urge to breed. Thats all. That is what i mean.

Well, even assuming you can identify the subjective emotion with brain activity (I don't believe that, but let's not get into it here), I don't see how that makes love 'not real.' Maybe you're trying to say it's not as it seems, but that's a completely different claim. In any case, even if natural selection has selected the emotion of love to promote breeding, that doesn't demean the emotion itself.
 
  • #31
hypnagogue said:
Well, even assuming you can identify the subjective emotion with brain activity (I don't believe that, but let's not get into it here), I don't see how that makes love 'not real.' Maybe you're trying to say it's not as it seems, but that's a completely different claim. In any case, even if natural selection has selected the emotion of love to promote breeding, that doesn't demean the emotion itself.

To add to that, if one is arguing it's entirely a biological process to promote breeding, isn't that even better support that it is real?

Though, I'd argue lust is the emotion involved in promoting breeding. Love is possibly more akin to affiliative pair-bonding behavior that promotes paternal care of offspring (if you want to consider it on biological terms only).
 
  • #32
Two other threads on the topic of Love.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=47520&page=1

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=60756


Love certainly has been used euphemistically for lust and desire, which are not love, but expression of selfishness.

How about a simple definition of love - a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. (I would emphasize 'affection' in contrast to 'attraction'.)

I love my parents, my wife, my children, my siblings and their families, my friends, my cats and dog, and others who are not really as close as friends. All those forms of love are however very different. All involve some degree of affection, but beyond that there is also a sense of commitment.

And I personally take Love a step further. Love is not just affection, but love involves and abiding care, concern, consideration and respect for the other(s) involved in the relationship(s), and to some degree, reciprocity and mutuality.

The latter term is particularly important in terms of equal parties in a relationship, e.g. wife and husband. A wife and husband should be mutual companions and soulmates, in a reciprocal and supportive relationship. Marriage is an interdepedent relationship, and not one of dependence. Both husband and wife can have individual as well as mutual interests and balance can be achieved.

Marriage is particularly important in the context of having children - with both parents sharing responsibility for raising and nuturing the children. And from this, children learn to be caring, considerate, thoughtful, respectful, i.e. loving persons.

Finally, LOVE is hard work, but it is also, a most profound, spiritual and rewarding experience.
 
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  • #33
Astronuc said:
Finally, LOVE is hard work, but it is also, a most profound, spiritual and rewarding experience.

Too true.

And to those who don't think love exists then what would you call the emotion you feel for the person you care about most?
 
  • #34
Carly said:
Too true.

And to those who don't think love exists then what would you call the emotion you feel for the person you care about most?

An illusion, and a lie.

I'm tired of arguing against people who refuse to stick to a single definition of love in arguement. I didn' say love didn't exist, i said it was nothing more than a chemical state in the brain nothing important or particularly special. No more special than my desire to eat, or th input my brain receives from my eyes.
 
  • #35
To quote Henry now,
"Unless you're a nihilist, you're affected by these chemical emotions every day in your life and therefore make the most of them and enjoy the ride as all brain activity is chemical or electronic in the end. Sometimes it's best to keep yourself inside the box or you'll end up like philip larkin."
 

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