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'''Love''' encompasses a range of strong and positive [[emotion]]al and [[mental states]], from the most sublime [[virtue]] or good habit, the deepest [[Interpersonal relationship|interpersonal]] [[affection]], to the simplest [[pleasure]].<ref>{{cite dictionary |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/love |title=Definition of Love in English |dictionary=[[Oxford English Dictionary]] |accessdate=May 1, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502140707/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/love |archive-date=2 May 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/love#translations |title=Definition of "Love" - English Dictionary |publisher=[[Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary|Cambridge English Dictionary]] |accessdate=May 1, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502141159/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/love#translations |archive-date=2 May 2018 }}</ref> An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love of food. Most commonly, love refers to a feeling of strong attraction and emotional [[attachment (psychology)|attachment]].<ref name="oxford">''Oxford Illustrated American Dictionary'' (1998)  ''Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary'' (2000)</ref>

Love is considered to be both positive and negative, with its [[virtue]] representing human [[kindness]], [[compassion]], and affection, as "the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another" and its [[vice]] representing human [[morality|moral flaw]], akin to [[vanity]], [[selfishness]], [[amour-propre]], and [[egotism]], as potentially leading people into a type of mania, obsessiveness or codependency.<ref>''Roget's Thesaurus'' (1998) p. 592 and p. 639</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/love|title=Love – Definition of love by Merriam-Webster|website=merriam-webster.com|access-date=14 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112114541/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/love|archive-date=12 January 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one's self or animals.<ref name="Fromm, Erich 1956">Fromm, Erich; ''The Art of Loving'', Harper Perennial (1956), Original English Version, {{ISBN|978-0-06-095828-2}}</ref> In its various forms, love acts as a major facilitator of [[interpersonal relationship]]s and, owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the [[creative arts]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Article On Love |url=http://www.slideshare.net/azharabbas/just-love |accessdate=13 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530043739/http://www.slideshare.net/azharabbas/just-love |archive-date=30 May 2012 }}</ref> Love has been postulated to be a function that keeps human beings together against menaces and to [[human reproduction|facilitate the continuation of the species]].<ref name="Fisher">Helen Fisher. ''Why We Love: the nature and chemistry of romantic love''. 2004.</ref>

Ancient Greek philosophers identified [[Greek words for love|five forms of love]]: essentially, [[familial love]] (in [[Ancient Greek|Greek]], ''{{lang|grc-Latn|[[Storge]]}}''), [[friendship|friendly love]] or [[platonic love]] (''{{lang|grc-Latn|[[Philia]]}}''), [[romance (love)|romantic love]] ({{lang|grc-Latn|[[Eros (concept)|Eros]]}}), [[hospitality|guest love]] ({{lang|grc-Latn|[[Xenia (Greek)|Xenia]]}}) and [[divinity|divine love]] ({{lang|grc-Latn|[[Agape]]}}). Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of love: [[unrequited love]], [[empty love]], [[companionate love]], [[consummate love]], [[limerence|infatuated love]], [[amour de soi|self-love]], and [[courtly love]]. Numerous cultures have also distinguished ''{{lang|zh-Latn|[[Ren (Confucianism)|Ren]]}}'', ''{{lang|zh-Latn|[[Yuanfen]]}}'', ''{{lang|zh-Latn|[[Mamihlapinatapai]]}}'', ''{{lang|zh-Latn|[[Cafuné]]}}'', ''{{lang|sa-Latn|[[Kama]]}}'', ''{{lang|sa-Latn|[[Bhakti]]}}'', ''{{lang|sa-Latn|[[Mettā]]}}'', ''{{lang|ar-Latn|[[Ishq]]}}'', ''{{lang|he-Latn|[[Chesed]]}}'', ''{{lang|la|[[Cupid|Amore]]}}'', ''{{lang|la|[[Charity (virtue)|Charity]]}}'', ''{{lang|zh-Latn|[[Saudade]]}}'' (and other [[Religious views on love|variants or symbioses of these states]]), as culturally unique words, definitions, or expressions of love in regards to a specified "moments" currently lacking in the English language.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-12-05|title=What Is Love? A Philosophy of Life|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-is-love-a-philosophy_b_5697322|access-date=2020-10-02|website=HuffPost|language=en}}</ref><ref>[[Liddell and Scott]]: [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dfili%2Fa φιλία] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103220059/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dfili%2Fa |date=3 January 2017 }}</ref><ref name="Gita">{{cite book |last= Mascaró |first=Juan |title=The Bhagavad Gita |publisher=Penguin|series=Penguin Classics |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-14-044918-1}} (J. Mascaró, translator)</ref>

Scientific research on emotion has increased significantly over the past two decades. The [[color wheel theory of love]] defines three primary, three secondary and nine tertiary love styles, describing them in terms of the traditional [[color wheel]]. The [[triangular theory of love]] suggests "intimacy, passion and commitment" are core components of love. Love has additional [[religion|religious]] or [[spiritual but not religious|spiritual]] meaning. This diversity of uses and meanings combined with the complexity of the feelings involved makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, compared to other emotional states.

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==Definitions==
[[File:Romeo and Juliet (watercolour) by Ford Maddox Brown.jpg|thumb|200px|''Romeo and Juliet'', depicted as they part on the balcony in Act III, 1867 by [[Ford Madox Brown]]]]

The word "love" can have a variety of related but distinct meanings in different contexts. Many other languages use multiple words to express some of the different concepts that in English are denoted as "love"; one example is the plurality of [[Greek words for love|Greek words for "love"]] which includes ''agape'' and ''eros''.<ref>Anders Nygren, ''Agape and Eros''.</ref> [[Cultural identity|Cultural differences]] in conceptualizing love thus doubly impede the establishment of a universal definition.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kay|first1=Paul|title=What is the Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis?|journal=American Anthropologist|series=New Series|volume=86|issue=1|date=March 1984|pages=65–79|doi=10.1525/aa.1984.86.1.02a00050|last2=Kempton|first2=Willett}}</ref>

Although the nature or [[essence]] of love is a subject of frequent debate, different aspects of the word can be clarified by determining what ''isn't'' love (antonyms of "love"). Love as a general expression of positive sentiment (a stronger form of ''like'') is commonly contrasted with [[hate]] (or neutral [[apathy]]). As a less-sexual and more-[[Emotional intimacy|emotionally intimate]] form of romantic attachment, love is commonly contrasted with [[lust]]. As an interpersonal relationship with romantic overtones, love is sometimes contrasted with [[friendship]], although the word ''love'' is often applied to close friendships or platonic love. (Further possible ambiguities come with usages "girlfriend", "boyfriend", "just good friends").

[[File:Columpio Veracruz 059.jpg|thumb|left|Fraternal love (Prehispanic sculpture from 250–900 AD, of [[Huastec civilization|Huastec]] origin). [[Museo de Antropología de Xalapa|Museum of Anthropology]] in [[Xalapa]], [[Veracruz]], [[Mexico]]]] Abstractly discussed, ''love'' usually refers to an experience one person feels for another. Love often involves caring for, or identifying with, a person or thing (cf. [[vulnerability and care theory of love]]), including oneself (cf. [[narcissism]]). In addition to cross-cultural differences in understanding love, ideas about love have also changed greatly over time. Some historians date modern conceptions of romantic love to courtly Europe during or after [[Middle Ages|the Middle Ages]], although the prior existence of romantic attachments is attested by ancient love poetry.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.TrueOpenLove.org/reference/AncientLovePoetry.html
 |title=Ancient Love Poetry
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930072056/http://www.trueopenlove.org/reference/AncientLovePoetry.html
 |archive-date=30 September 2007
}}</ref>

The complex and abstract nature of love often reduces discourse of love to a [[thought-terminating cliché]]. Several common [[proverb]]s regard love, from [[Virgil]]'s "[[Amor Vincit Omnia (Caravaggio)|Love conquers all]]" to [[The Beatles]]' "[[All You Need Is Love]]". [[St. Thomas Aquinas]], following [[Aristotle]], defines love as "to will the good of another."<ref name="newadvent.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.newadvent.org/summa/2026.htm#article4 |title=St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I–II, 26, 4, corp. art |publisher=Newadvent.org |accessdate=30 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109213721/http://newadvent.org/summa/2026.htm#article4 |archive-date=9 November 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bertrand Russell]] describes love as a condition of "absolute value," as opposed to [[relative value (economics)|relative value]].{{citation needed|date=January 2019}} Philosopher [[Gottfried Leibniz]] said that love is "to be delighted by the happiness of another."<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Confessio_philosophi
|first=Gottfried
|last=Leibniz
|title=Confessio philosophi
|publisher=Wikisource edition
|accessdate=25 March 2009
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427115126/http://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Confessio_philosophi
|archive-date=27 April 2009
|url-status=live
}}</ref> [[Meher Baba]] stated that in love there is a "feeling of unity" and an "active appreciation of the intrinsic worth of the object of love."<ref>[[Meher Baba|Baba, Meher]] (1995). ''Discourses''. Myrtle Beach: Sheriar Press. p. 113. {{ISBN|978-1-880619-09-4}}.</ref> Biologist [[Jeremy Griffith]] defines love as "unconditional selflessness".<ref>[http://www.worldtransformation.com/what-is-love/ ''What is love?''. In ''The Book of Real Answers to Everything!''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116041234/http://www.worldtransformation.com/what-is-love/ |date=16 January 2013 }} Griffith, J. 2011. {{ISBN|978-1-74129-007-3}}.</ref>

==Impersonal==
People can be said to love an object, principle, or goal to which they are deeply committed and greatly value. For example, compassionate outreach and volunteer workers' "love" of their cause may sometimes be born not of interpersonal love but impersonal love, [[altruism]], and strong spiritual or political convictions.<ref name="Fromm, Erich 2000">Fromm, Erich; ''The Art of Loving'', Harper Perennial (5 September 2000), Original English Version, {{ISBN|978-0-06-095828-2}}</ref> People can also "love" material objects, animals, or activities if they invest themselves in bonding or otherwise identifying with those things. If sexual passion is also involved, then this feeling is called [[paraphilia]].<ref>{{cite web|last=DiscoveryHealth |title=Paraphilia |url=http://health.discovery.com/centers/sex/sexpedia/paraphilia.html |accessdate=16 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212105714/http://health.discovery.com/centers/sex/sexpedia/paraphilia.html |archive-date=12 December 2007 }}</ref> A [[Love of Life (disambiguation)|common]] principle that people say they love is [[life]] itself.

==Interpersonal==
{{Close Relationships|emotions}}
Interpersonal love refers to love between human beings. It is a much more potent sentiment than a simple ''liking'' for a person. [[Unrequited love]] refers to those feelings of love that are not reciprocated. Interpersonal love is most closely associated with [[Interpersonal relationship]]s.<ref name="Fromm, Erich 2000"/> Such love might exist between family members, friends, and couples. There are also a number of psychological disorders related to love, such as [[erotomania]].
Throughout history, [[philosophy]] and [[religion]] have done the most speculation on the phenomenon of love. In the 20th century, the science of [[psychology]] has written a great deal on the subject. In recent years, the sciences of [[psychology]], [[anthropology]], [[neuroscience]], and [[biology]] have added to the understanding the concept of love.

===Biological basis===
{{Main|Biological basis of love}}
Biological models of sex tend to view love as a [[mammal]]ian drive, much like [[hunger]] or [[thirst]].<ref name="Lewis">{{cite book | last = Lewis | first = Thomas |author2=Amini, F. |author3=Lannon, R. | title = A General Theory of Love | publisher = Random House | year = 2000 |isbn=978-0-375-70922-7| title-link = A General Theory of Love }}</ref> [[Helen Fisher (anthropologist)|Helen Fisher]], an anthropologist and human behavior researcher, divides the experience of love into three partly overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust is the feeling of [[sexual desire]]; romantic attraction determines what partners mates find attractive and pursue, conserving time and energy by choosing; and attachment involves sharing a home, parental duties, mutual defense, and in humans involves feelings of safety and security.<ref name="brain systems">
{{cite web|url=http://homepage.mac.com/helenfisher/archives_of_sex_beh.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=3 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628051603/http://homepage.mac.com/helenfisher/archives_of_sex_beh.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2011 }} Defining the Brain Systems of Lust, Romantic Attraction,
and Attachment by Fisher et al.</ref> Three distinct neural circuitries, including neurotransmitters, and three behavioral patterns, are associated with these three romantic styles.<ref name="brain systems"/>

[[File:Gothaer Liebespaar.jpg|thumb|left|180px|''Pair of Lovers''. 1480–1485]]
[[Lust]] is the initial passionate sexual desire that promotes [[Mating (human)|mating]], and involves the increased release of chemicals such as [[testosterone]] and [[estrogen]]. These effects rarely last more than a few weeks or months. [[Interpersonal attraction|Attraction]] is the more individualized and romantic desire for a specific candidate for mating, which develops out of lust as commitment to an individual mate forms. Recent studies in [[neuroscience]] have indicated that as people fall in love, the brain consistently releases a certain set of chemicals, including the [[neuroendocrine|neurotransmitter hormones]], [[dopamine]], [[norepinephrine]], and [[serotonin]], the same compounds released by [[amphetamine]], stimulating the brain's [[pleasure center]] and leading to side effects such as increased [[heart rate]], loss of [[Anorexia (symptom)|appetite]] and [[insomnia|sleep]], and an [[euphoria|intense feeling of excitement]]. Research has indicated that this stage generally lasts from one and a half to three years.<ref name="human">{{cite book
|last=Winston
|first=Robert
|year=2004
|title=Human
|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]
|isbn=978-0-03-093780-4}}</ref>

Since the lust and attraction stages are both considered temporary, a third stage is needed to account for long-term relationships. [[Attachment theory|Attachment]] is the [[human bonding|bonding]] that promotes relationships lasting for many years and even decades. Attachment is generally based on commitments such as [[marriage]] and [[children]], or mutual friendship based on things like shared interests. It has been linked to higher levels of the chemicals [[oxytocin]] and [[vasopressin]] to a greater degree than short-term relationships have.<ref name="human"/> [[Enzo Emanuele]] and coworkers reported the protein molecule known as the [[nerve growth factor]] (NGF) has high levels when people first fall in love, but these return to previous levels after one year.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Emanuele, E.|author2=Polliti, P.|author3=Bianchi, M.|author4=Minoretti, P.|author5=Bertona, M.|author6=Geroldi, D.|year=2005|title=Raised plasma nerve growth factor levels associated with early-stage romantic love|url=http://www.biopsychiatry.com/lovengf.htm|journal=Psychoneuroendocrinology|doi=10.1016/j.psyneuen.2005.09.002|volume=31|pmid=16289361|issue=3|pages=288–294|s2cid=18497668|access-date=3 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206142641/http://www.biopsychiatry.com/lovengf.htm|archive-date=6 December 2006|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{clear}}

===Psychological basis===
{{Further|Human bonding}}
[[File:Sri Lankan woman and child.jpg|thumb|Grandmother and grandchild in [[Sri Lanka]]]]
[[Psychology]] depicts love as a cognitive and social phenomenon. [[Psychologist]] [[Robert Sternberg]] formulated a [[triangular theory of love]] and argued that love has three different components: intimacy, commitment, and passion. Intimacy is a form in which two people share confidences and various details of their personal lives, and is usually shown in friendships and romantic love affairs. Commitment, on the other hand, is the expectation that the relationship is permanent. The last form of love is sexual attraction and passion. Passionate love is shown in infatuation as well as romantic love. All forms of love are viewed as varying combinations of these three components. Non-love does not include any of these components. Liking only includes intimacy. Infatuated love only includes passion. Empty love only includes commitment. Romantic love includes both intimacy and passion. Companionate love includes intimacy and commitment. Fatuous love includes passion and commitment. Lastly, consummate love includes all three components.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Sternberg| first= R.J. |year=1986| title=A triangular theory of love| journal=Psychological Review|volume= 93 |issue=2|pages= 119–135| doi= 10.1037/0033-295x.93.2.119}}</ref> American psychologist [[Zick Rubin]] sought to define ''love'' by [[psychometrics]] in the 1970s. His work states that three factors constitute love: attachment, caring, and intimacy.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Rubin|first=Zick|title=Measurement of Romantic Love|journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology|volume=16|pages=265–273|year=1970|doi=10.1037/h0029841|pmid=5479131|issue=2|citeseerx=10.1.1.452.3207}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Rubin|first=Zick|title=Liking and Loving: an invitation to social psychology|url=https://archive.org/details/likinglovinginvi00rubi|url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=Holt, Rinehart & Winston|year=1973}}</ref>

Following developments in electrical theories such as [[Coulomb's law]], which showed that positive and negative charges attract, analogs in human life were developed, such as "opposites attract". Over the last century, research on the nature of human mating has generally found this not to be true when it comes to character and personality—people tend to like people similar to themselves. However, in a few unusual and specific domains, such as [[immune system]]s, it seems that humans prefer others who are unlike themselves (e.g., with an orthogonal immune system), since this will lead to a baby that has the best of both worlds.<ref>{{cite book | last = Berscheid | first = Ellen | author-link = Ellen S. Berscheid |author2=Walster, Elaine H. | title = Interpersonal Attraction | publisher = Addison-Wesley Publishing Co | year = 1969 | id = CCCN 69-17443 | isbn = 978-0-201-00560-8 }}</ref> In recent years, various [[human bonding]] theories have been developed, described in terms of attachments, ties, bonds, and affinities.
Some Western authorities disaggregate into two main components, the altruistic and the narcissistic. This view is represented in the works of [[M. Scott Peck|Scott Peck]], whose work in the field of [[applied psychology]] explored the definitions of love and evil. Peck maintains that love is a combination of the "concern for the spiritual growth of another," and simple narcissism.<ref name="peck">{{cite book | title=The Road Less Traveled | isbn=978-0-671-25067-6 | last=Peck | first=Scott | publisher=Simon & Schuster | year=1978 | page=[https://archive.org/details/roadlesstraveled00peck_0/page/169 169] | url=https://archive.org/details/roadlesstraveled00peck_0/page/169 }}</ref> In combination, love is an ''activity'', not simply a feeling.

Psychologist [[Erich Fromm]] maintained in his book ''[[The Art of Loving]]'' that love is not merely a feeling but is also actions, and that in fact, the "feeling" of love is superficial in comparison to one's commitment to love via a series of loving actions over time.<ref name="Fromm, Erich 2000"/> In this sense, Fromm held that love is ultimately not a feeling at all, but rather is a commitment to, and adherence to, loving actions towards another, oneself, or many others, over a sustained duration.<ref name="Fromm, Erich 2000"/> Fromm also described love as a conscious choice that in its early stages might originate as an involuntary feeling, but which then later no longer depends on those feelings, but rather depends only on conscious commitment.<ref name="Fromm, Erich 2000"/>

===Evolutionary basis===
[[File:Place des Abbesse (the plaque with the je t'aime=te iubesc in 311 laguages).jpg|thumb|''[[Wall of Love]]'' on [[Montmartre]] in Paris: "I love you" in 250 languages, by calligraphist Fédéric Baron and artist Claire Kito (2000)]]

[[Evolutionary psychology]] has attempted to provide various reasons for love as a survival tool. Humans are dependent on parental help for a large portion of their lifespans compared to other mammals. Love has therefore been seen as a mechanism to promote parental support of children for this extended time period. Furthermore, researchers as early as [[Charles Darwin]] himself identified unique features of human love compared to other mammals and credit love as a major factor for creating social support systems that enabled the development and expansion of the human species.<ref>{{cite book |title= Darwin's Lost Theory of Love: A Healing Vision for the 21st Century |last= Loye|first= David S. |year= 2000|publisher= iUniverse|isbn= 978-0-595-00131-6|page= 332}}</ref> Another factor may be that [[sexually transmitted disease]]s can cause, among other effects, permanently reduced [[fertility]], injury to the fetus, and increase complications during [[childbirth]]. This would favor monogamous relationships over [[polygamy]].<ref>The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology, edited by David M. Buss, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005. Chapter 14, Commitment, Love, and Mate Retention by Lorne Campbell and Bruce J. Ellis.</ref>

===Comparison of scientific models===
Biological models of love tend to see it as a mammalian drive, similar to [[hunger]] or [[thirst]].<ref name="Lewis"/> Psychology sees love as more of a social and cultural phenomenon. Certainly, love is influenced by [[hormone]]s (such as [[oxytocin]]), [[neurotrophins]] (such as [[nerve growth factor|NGF]]), and [[pheromone]]s, and how people think and behave in love is influenced by their conceptions of love. The conventional view in [[biology]] is that there are two major drives in love: [[sexual attraction]] and [[attachment theory|attachment]]. Attachment between adults is presumed to work on the same principles that lead an infant to become attached to its mother. The traditional psychological view sees love as being a combination of [[companionate love]] and passionate love. Passionate love is intense longing, and is often accompanied by [[physiological arousal]] (shortness of breath, rapid heart rate); companionate love is affection and a feeling of intimacy not accompanied by physiological arousal.

==Cultural views==
===Ancient Greek===
{{See also|Greek words for love}}
[[File:Eros bow Musei Capitolini MC410.jpg|thumb|Roman copy of a Greek sculpture by [[Lysippus]] depicting [[Eros]], the Greek personification of romantic love]]
[[Greek language|Greek]] distinguishes [[Greek words for love|several different senses]] in which the word "love" is used. Ancient Greeks identified four forms of love: kinship or [[familial love|familiarity]] (in [[Ancient Greek|Greek]], ''[[storge]]''), [[friendship]] and/or [[platonic love|platonic desire]] (''[[philia]]''), sexual and/or [[romance (love)|romantic desire]] (''[[eros (concept)|eros]]''), and [[Kenosis|self-emptying]] or divine love (''[[agape]]'').<ref>C. S. Lewis, ''[[The Four Loves]]'', 1960.</ref><ref name="PlatonicSchool">{{cite book |last=Kristeller |first=Paul Oskar |title=Renaissance Thought and the Arts: Collected Essays |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-691-02010-5}}</ref> Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of romantic love.<ref>[[Stendhal]], in his book ''On Love'' ("De l'amour"; Paris, 1822), distinguished carnal love, passionate love, a kind of uncommitted love that he called "taste-love", and love of vanity. [[Denis de Rougemont]] in his book ''Love in the Western World'' traced the story of passionate love (''l'amour-passion'') from its courtly to its romantic forms. [[Benjamin Péret]], in the introduction to his ''Anthology of Sublime Love'' (Paris, 1956), further identified "sublime love", a state of realized idealisation perhaps equatable with the romantic form of passionate love.</ref> However, with Greek (as with many other languages), it has been historically difficult to separate the meanings of these words totally. At the same time, the Ancient Greek text of the [[Bible]] has examples of the [[verb]] ''agapo'' having the same meaning as ''[[phileo]]''.

''[[Agapē|Agape]]'' ({{lang|grc|ἀγάπη}} ''agápē'') means ''love'' in modern-day Greek. The term ''s'agapo'' means ''I love you'' in Greek. The word ''agapo'' is the verb ''I love''. It generally refers to a "pure," [[ideal type]] of love, rather than the physical attraction suggested by ''eros''. However, there are some examples of ''agape'' used to mean the same as ''eros''. It has also been translated as "love of the soul."<ref name="Anders Theodor Samuel Nygren 1936">Anders Theodor Samuel Nygren, ''[[Eros and Agape]]'' (first published in [[Swedish language|Swedish]], 1930–1936).</ref>

''[[Eros (love)|Eros]]'' ({{lang|grc|ἔρως}} ''érōs'') (from the Greek deity [[Eros]]) is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. The Greek word ''erota'' means ''in love''. [[Plato]] refined his own definition. Although eros is initially felt for a person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes appreciation of beauty itself. Eros helps the soul recall knowledge of beauty and contributes to an understanding of spiritual truth. Lovers and philosophers are all inspired to seek truth by eros. Some translations list it as "love of the body".<ref name="Anders Theodor Samuel Nygren 1936"/>

''[[Philia]]'' ({{lang|grc|φιλία}} ''philía''), a dispassionate virtuous love, was a concept addressed and developed by [[Aristotle]] in his [[Nicomachean Ethics]] Book VIII.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iep.utm.edu/love/|title=Philosophy of Love {{!}} Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy|website=www.iep.utm.edu|language=en-US|access-date=24 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829093137/http://www.iep.utm.edu/love/|archive-date=29 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> It includes loyalty to friends, family, and community, and requires virtue, equality, and familiarity. Philia is motivated by practical reasons; one or both of the parties benefit from the relationship. It can also mean "love of the mind."

''[[Storge]]'' ({{lang|grc|στοργή}} ''storgē'') is natural affection, like that felt by parents for offspring.

''[[Xenia (Greek)|Xenia]]'' (ξενία ''xenía''), hospitality, was an extremely important practice in [[ancient Greece]]. It was an almost ritualized friendship formed between a host and his guest, who could previously have been strangers. The host fed and provided quarters for the guest, who was expected to repay only with gratitude. The importance of this can be seen throughout [[Greek mythology]]—in particular, [[Homer]]'s ''[[Iliad]]'' and ''[[Odyssey]]''.

===Ancient Roman (Latin)===
The [[Latin|Latin language]] has several different verbs corresponding to the English word "love." ''[[wikt:amo#Latin|amō]]'' is the basic verb meaning ''I love'', with the infinitive ''[[wikt:amare#Italian|amare]]'' ("to love") as it still is in [[Italian language|Italian]] today. The Romans used it both in an affectionate sense as well as in a romantic or sexual sense. From this verb come ''amans''—a lover, amator, "professional lover," often with the accessory notion of lechery—and ''amica'', "girlfriend" in the English sense, often being applied euphemistically to a prostitute. The corresponding noun is ''amor'' (the significance of this term for the Romans is well illustrated in the fact, that the name of the City, [[Rome]]—in Latin: ''Roma''—can be viewed as an [[anagram]] for ''amor'', which was used as the secret name of the City in wide circles in ancient times),<ref>Thomas Köves-Zulauf, Reden und Schweigen, Munich, 1972.</ref> which is also used in the plural form to indicate love affairs or sexual adventures. This same root also produces ''amicus''—"friend"—and ''amicitia'', "friendship" (often based to mutual advantage, and corresponding sometimes more closely to "indebtedness" or "influence"). Cicero wrote a treatise called ''On Friendship'' (''de Amicitia''), which discusses the notion at some length. Ovid wrote a guide to dating called ''[[Ars Amatoria]]'' (''The Art of Love''), which addresses, in depth, everything from [[Affair|extramarital affairs]] to overprotective parents.

Latin sometimes uses ''amāre'' where English would simply say ''to like''. This notion, however, is much more generally expressed in Latin by the terms ''placere'' or ''delectāre'', which are used more colloquially, the latter used frequently in the love poetry of [[Catullus]]. ''Diligere'' often has the notion "to be affectionate for," "to esteem," and rarely if ever is used for romantic love. This word would be appropriate to describe the friendship of two men. The corresponding noun ''diligentia'', however, has the meaning of "diligence" or "carefulness," and has little semantic overlap with the verb. ''Observare'' is a synonym for ''diligere''; despite the cognate with English, this verb and its corresponding noun, ''observantia'', often denote "esteem" or "affection." ''[[Charity (virtue)|Caritas]]'' is used in Latin translations of the Christian Bible to mean "charitable love"; this meaning, however, is not found in Classical pagan [[Latin literature|Roman literature]]. As it arises from a [[conflation]] with a Greek word, there is no corresponding verb.

===Chinese and other Sinic===
[[File:Love-zh.svg|thumb|left|upright|{{lang|zh|愛}} (Mandarin: ''ài''), the traditional [[Chinese character]] for love contains a [[heart]] ({{lang|zh|心}}) in the middle.]]

Two philosophical underpinnings of love exist in the Chinese tradition, one from [[Confucianism]] which emphasized actions and duty while the other came from [[Mohism]] which championed a universal love. A core concept to Confucianism is {{lang|zh|{{linktext|仁}}}} (''[[Ren (Confucianism)|Ren]]'', "benevolent love"), which focuses on duty, action and attitude in a relationship rather than love itself. In Confucianism, one displays benevolent love by performing actions such as [[filial piety]] from children, kindness from parents, loyalty to the king and so forth.

The concept of {{lang|zh|愛}} (Mandarin: ''ài'') was developed by the Chinese philosopher [[Mozi]] in the 4th century BC in reaction to Confucianism's benevolent love. Mozi tried to replace what he considered to be the long-entrenched Chinese over-attachment to family and clan structures with the concept of "universal love" ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|兼愛}}}}, ''jiān'ài''). In this, he argued directly against Confucians who believed that it was natural and correct for people to care about different people in different degrees. Mozi, by contrast, believed people in principle should care for all people equally. Mohism stressed that rather than adopting different attitudes towards different people, love should be unconditional and offered to everyone without regard to reciprocation; not just to friends, family and other Confucian relations. Later in [[Chinese Buddhism]], the term ''Ai'' ({{lang|zh|愛}}) was adopted to refer to a passionate, caring love and was considered a fundamental desire. In Buddhism, ''Ai'' was seen as capable of being either selfish or selfless, the latter being a key element towards enlightenment.

In [[Mandarin Chinese]], {{lang|zh|{{linktext|愛}}}} (''ài'') is often used as the equivalent of the Western concept of love. {{lang|zh|{{linktext|愛}}}} (''ài'') is used as both a verb (e.g. {{lang|zh|我愛你}}, ''Wǒ ài nǐ'', or "I love you") and a noun (such as {{lang|zh|{{linktext|愛情}}}} ''àiqíng'', or "romantic love"). However, due to the influence of Confucian {{lang|zh|{{linktext|仁}}}} (''rén''), the phrase {{lang|zh|我愛你}} (''Wǒ ài nǐ'', I love you) carries with it a very specific sense of responsibility, commitment and loyalty. Instead of frequently saying "I love you" as in some Western societies, the Chinese are more likely to express feelings of affection in a more casual way. Consequently, "I like you" ({{lang|zh|我喜欢你}}, ''Wǒ xǐhuan nǐ'') is a more common way of expressing affection in Mandarin; it is more playful and less serious.<ref>JFK Miller, "[http://shanghai.urbanatomy.com/index.php/i-ahearts-shanghai/85-i-love-shanghai/429-why-the-chinese-dont-say-qi-love-youq Why the Chinese Don't Say I Love You] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124202633/http://shanghai.urbanatomy.com/index.php/i-ahearts-shanghai/85-i-love-shanghai/429-why-the-chinese-dont-say-qi-love-youq |date=24 January 2010 }}"</ref> This is also true in Japanese (''suki da'', {{lang|ja|好きだ}}).

===Japanese===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Ohatsu and Tokube statue at Tsuyunoten Shrine.jpg|right|thumb|Ohatsu and Tokubei, characters of ''[[Sonezaki Shinjū]]'']] -->
The [[Japanese language]] uses three words to convey the English equivalent of "love". Because "love" covers a wide range of emotions and behavioral phenomena, there are nuances distinguishing the three terms.<ref name="Ryang2006">{{cite book | last1 = Ryang | first1 = Sonia | title = Love in Modern Japan: Its Estrangement from Self, Sex and Society | year = 2006 | publisher = Routledge | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tkOUAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA13 | pages = 13–14 | isbn = 978-1-135-98863-0 | access-date = 3 February 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160711112044/https://books.google.com/books?id=tkOUAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA13 | archive-date = 11 July 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="About">{{cite web | last1 = Abe | first1 = Namiko | url = http://japanese.about.com/od/japanesecultur1/a/The-Japanese-Words-For-Love.htm | title = Japanese Words for "Love": The Difference between "Ai" and "Koi" | publisher = About.com | accessdate = 5 November 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141105225936/http://japanese.about.com/od/japanesecultur1/a/The-Japanese-Words-For-Love.htm | archive-date = 5 November 2014 | url-status = live }}</ref> The term {{Nihongo|''ai''|愛}}, which is often associated with maternal love<ref name="Ryang2006"/> or selfless love,<ref name="About"/> originally referred to beauty and was often used in religious context. Following the [[Meiji Restoration]] 1868, the term became associated with "love" in order to translate Western literature. Prior to Western influence, the term {{Nihongo|''koi''|恋 or 孤悲}} generally represented romantic love, and was often the subject of the popular [[Man'yōshū]] Japanese poetry collection.<ref name="Ryang2006"/> ''Koi'' describes a longing for a member of the opposite sex and is typically interpreted as selfish and wanting.<ref name="About"/> The term's origins come from the concept of lonely solitude as a result of separation from a loved one. Though modern usage of ''koi'' focuses on sexual love and infatuation, the Manyō used the term to cover a wider range of situations, including tenderness, benevolence, and material desire.<ref name="Ryang2006"/> The third term, {{Nihongo|''ren'ai''|恋愛}}, is a more modern construction that combines the [[kanji]] characters for both ''ai'' and ''koi'', though its usage more closely resembles that of ''koi'' in the form of romantic love.<ref name="Ryang2006"/><ref name="About"/>

===Indian===
[[File:Krishna et Radha dans un pavillon.jpg|thumb|left|Hindu god [[Krishna]] and his consort [[Radha]] making love]]
In contemporary literature, the [[Sanskrit]] words for love is [[en:wiktionary:स्नेह|sneha]]. Other terms such as Priya refers to innocent love, Prema refers to spiritual love, and [[Kama]] refers usually to sexual desire.<ref>Monier Williams, [http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/mw/0300/mw__0304.html काम, kāma] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019211540/http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/mw/0300/mw__0304.html |date=19 October 2017 }} Monier-Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary, p. 271, see 3rd column</ref><ref name=jamesl>James Lochtefeld (2002), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 1, Rosen Publishing, New York, {{ISBN|0-8239-2287-1}}, p. 340</ref> However, the term also refers to any sensory enjoyment, emotional attraction and aesthetic pleasure such as from arts, dance, music, painting, sculpture and nature.<ref name=kmrvv>See:
* Kate Morris (2011), The Illustrated Dictionary of History, {{ISBN|978-81-89093-37-2}}, p. 124;
* Robert E. Van Voorst, RELG: World, Wadsworth, {{ISBN|978-1-111-72620-1}}, p. 78</ref><ref name=rp10>R. Prasad (2008), History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization, Volume 12, Part 1, {{ISBN|978-81-8069-544-5}}, pp. 249–270</ref>

The concept of kama is found in some of the earliest known verses in [[Veda]]s. For example, Book 10 of Rig Veda describes the creation of the universe from nothing by the great heat. There in hymn 129, it states:
{{Quote|
1=<poem>
कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि मनसो रेतः परथमं यदासीत |
सतो बन्धुमसति निरविन्दन हर्दि परतीष्याकवयो मनीषा ||<ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rvsan/rv10129.htm Rig Veda Book 10 Hymn 129] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216052950/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rvsan/rv10129.htm |date=16 February 2018 }} Verse 4</ref>

Thereafter rose Desire in the beginning, Desire the primal seed and germ of Spirit,
Sages who searched with their heart's thought discovered the existent's kinship in the non-existent.
</poem>
|2=[[Rigveda|Rig Veda]]|3=~ 15th century BC<ref>Ralph Griffith (Translator, 1895), [https://archive.org/stream/hymnsrigveda00unkngoog#page/n580/mode/2up The Hymns of the Rig veda] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410225127/https://archive.org/stream/hymnsrigveda00unkngoog#page/n580/mode/2up |date=10 April 2016 }}, Book X, Hymn CXXIX, Verse 4, p. 575</ref>}}
{{clear}}

===Persian===
{{quote box|author=[[Saadi (poet)|Sa'di]]|salign=right|source=''[[Gulistan (book)|Gulistan]]''{{space|3}}
|quote=<poem>The children of Adam are limbs of one body
Having been created of one essence.
When the calamity of time afflicts one limb
The other limbs cannot remain at rest.
If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others
You are not worthy to be called by the name of "man".</poem>}}

[[Rumi]], [[Hafiz Shirazi|Hafiz]] and [[Saadi (poet)|Sa'di]] are icons of the passion and love that the [[Culture of Iran|Persian culture]] and language present.{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}} The Persian word for love is ''[[Ishq]]'', which is derived from [[Arabic]] language; however, it is considered by most to be too stalwart a term for interpersonal love and is more commonly substituted for "doost dashtan" ("liking").{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}} In the Persian culture, everything is encompassed by love and all is for love, starting from loving friends and family, husbands and wives, and eventually reaching the divine love that is the ultimate goal in life.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}}

Aziz Nasafi, a famous [[Muslims|Muslim]] mystic from [[Central Asia]] and Iran, wrote the “Epistle on Love” (''Risala fi’l ‘Ishq'') in his work ''The Book of the Perfect Man (Kitab Insan al-Kamil)''. In the epistle, he describes love as an emotion that is fostered in an individual for the beloved through four stages. These four stages are inclination (''mayl)'', desire (''iradat''), affection (''mahabbat'') and love (''‘ishq''). He explains that these four stages lead the lover on a journey through which his love for his beloved progressively strengthens, until he becomes completely immersed in the beloved and the beloved becomes a part of him.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Virani|first=Shafique|date=2009|title=The Dear One of Nasaf: 'Azīz Nasafī's “Epistle on Love”|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157338410x12625876281262|journal=Iran and the Caucasus|volume=13|issue=2|pages=311–317|doi=10.1163/157338410x12625876281262|issn=1609-8498}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Religious views==
{{main|Religious views on love}}

===Abrahamic===
[[File:Ahava.jpg|thumb|[[Robert Indiana]]'s 1977 [[Love (sculpture)|''Love'' sculpture]] spelling ''ahava'']]

====Judaism====
{{see also|Jewish views on love}}
In [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], {{lang|he|אהבה}} (''ahava'') is the most commonly used term for both interpersonal love and love between God and God's creations. [[Chesed]], often translated as loving-kindness, is used to describe many forms of love between human beings.

The commandment to love other people is given in the [[Torah]], which states, "Love your neighbor like yourself" ([[Leviticus]] 19:18). The Torah's commandment to love [[God]] "with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might" ([[Deuteronomy]] 6:5) is taken by the [[Mishnah]] (a central text of the Jewish [[oral law]]) to refer to good deeds, willingness to sacrifice one's life rather than commit certain serious transgressions, willingness to sacrifice all of one's possessions, and being grateful to the Lord despite adversity (tractate Berachoth 9:5). [[Rabbinic literature]] differs as to how this love can be developed, e.g., by contemplating divine deeds or witnessing the marvels of nature.

As for love between marital partners, this is deemed an essential ingredient to life: "See life with the wife you love" ([[Ecclesiastes]] 9:9). Rabbi [[David Wolpe]] writes that "...love is not only about the feelings of the lover...It is when one person believes in another person and shows it." He further states that "...love...is a feeling that expresses itself in action. What we really feel is reflected in what we do."<ref>{{cite web |last=Wolpe |first=David |url=http://time.com/4225777/meaning-of-love/ |title=We Are Defining Love the Wrong Way |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=February 16, 2016 |accessdate=February 14, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226085614/http://time.com/4225777/meaning-of-love/ |archive-date=26 February 2019 }}</ref> The biblical book [[Song of Solomon]] is considered a romantically phrased metaphor of love between [[God]] and his people, but in its plain reading, reads like a love song. The 20th-century [[rabbi]] [[Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler]] is frequently quoted as defining love from the Jewish point of view as "giving without expecting to take" (from his ''Michtav me-Eliyahu'', Vol.&nbsp;1).

====Christianity====
The Christian understanding is that love comes from [[God]]. The love of man and woman—''eros'' in Greek—and the unselfish love of others (''agape''), are often contrasted as "descending" and "ascending" love, respectively, but are ultimately the same thing.<ref name="vatican1">{{cite web
|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html
|author=Pope Benedict XVI
|title=papal encyclical, Deus Caritas Est
|access-date=11 June 2008
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008152102/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html
|archive-date=8 October 2011
|url-status=live
}}</ref>

There are several Greek words for "love" that are regularly referred to in Christian circles.
* ''[[Agape]]'': In the [[New Testament]], ''agapē'' is charitable, selfless, altruistic, and unconditional. It is parental love, seen as creating goodness in the world; it is the way God is seen to love humanity, and it is seen as the kind of love that Christians aspire to have for one another.<ref name="Anders Theodor Samuel Nygren 1936"/>
* ''[[Phileo]]'': Also used in the New Testament, ''phileo'' is a human response to something that is found to be delightful. Also known as "brotherly love."
* Two other [[#Ancient Greek|words for love in the Greek language]], ''[[Eros (love)|eros]]'' (sexual love) and ''[[storge]]'' (child-to-parent love), were never used in the New Testament.<ref name="Anders Theodor Samuel Nygren 1936"/>

[[Christianity|Christians]] believe that to ''Love God with all your heart, mind, and strength'' and ''Love your [[neighbourhood|neighbor]] as yourself'' are the two most important things in life (the [[Great Commandment|greatest commandment]] of the Jewish [[Torah]], according to [[Jesus]]; cf. [[Gospel of Mark]] chapter 12, verses 28–34). [[Augustine of Hippo|Saint Augustine]] summarized this when he wrote "Love God, and do as thou wilt."

[[The Apostle Paul]] glorified love as the most important virtue of all. Describing love in the famous poetic interpretation in [[First Epistle to the Corinthians|1 Corinthians]], he wrote, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres." ([[1 Corinthians|1 Cor.]] 13:4–7, [[NIV]])

[[John the Apostle|The Apostle John]] wrote, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." ([[Gospel of John|John]] 3:16–17, NIV) John also wrote, "Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." ([[1 John]] 4:7–8, NIV)

[[File:baglione.jpg|thumb|left|upright|''Sacred and Profane Love'' (1602–03) by [[Giovanni Baglione]]. Intended as an attack on his hated enemy the artist [[Caravaggio]], it shows a boy (hinting at Caravaggio's homosexuality) on one side, a devil with Caravaggio's face on the other, and between an angel representing pure, meaning non-erotic, love.<ref>http://www.wga.hu/html_m/b/baglione/sacred2.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314004545/http://www.wga.hu/html_m/b/baglione/sacred2.html |date=14 March 2017 }} Description of Sacred and Profane Love</ref>]]

[[Saint Augustine]] says that one must be able to decipher the difference between love and lust. Lust, according to Saint Augustine, is an overindulgence, but to love and be loved is what he has sought for his entire life. He even says, "I was in love with love." Finally, he does fall in love and is loved back, by God. Saint Augustine says the only one who can love you truly and fully is God, because love with a human only allows for flaws such as "jealousy, suspicion, fear, anger, and contention." According to Saint Augustine, to love God is "to attain the peace which is yours." (Saint Augustine's ''[[Confessions (Augustine)|Confessions]]'')

Augustine regards the duplex commandment of love in Matthew 22 as the heart of Christian faith and the interpretation of the Bible. After the review of Christian doctrine, Augustine treats the problem of love in terms of use and enjoyment until the end of Book I of ''[[De Doctrina Christiana]]'' (1.22.21–1.40.44;).<ref>{{cite journal | last=Woo | first=B. Hoon | title=Augustine's Hermeneutics and Homiletics in ''De doctrina christiana'' | journal= Journal of Christian Philosophy | year=2013 | volume=17 | url=https://www.academia.edu/5228314 |pages=97–117}}</ref>

Christian [[Theology|theologians]] see God as the source of love, which is mirrored in humans and their own loving relationships. Influential Christian theologian [[C. S. Lewis]] wrote a book called ''[[The Four Loves]]''. [[Benedict XVI]] named his first [[encyclical]] ''[[Deus caritas est|God is love]]''. He said that a human being, created in the image of God, who is love, is able to practice love; to give himself to God and others ([[agape]]) and by receiving and experiencing God's love in contemplation (eros). This life of love, according to him, is the life of the saints such as [[Teresa of Calcutta]] and the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] and is the direction Christians take when they believe that God loves them.<ref name="vatican1"/>

[[Pope Francis]] taught that "True love is both loving and letting oneself be loved...what is important in love is not our loving, but allowing ourselves to be loved by God."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/january/documents/papa-francesco_20150118_srilanka-filippine-incontro-giovani.html|title=Sri Lanka – Philippines: Meeting with the young people in the sports field of Santo Tomas University (Manila, 18 January 2015) – Francis|website=w2.vatican.va|access-date=24 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223111444/http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/january/documents/papa-francesco_20150118_srilanka-filippine-incontro-giovani.html|archive-date=23 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> And so, in the analysis of a Catholic theologian, for Pope Francis, "the key to love...is not our activity. It is the activity of the greatest, and the source, of all the powers in the universe: God's."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://opinion.inquirer.net/82535/the-key-to-love-according-to-pope-francis|title=The key to love according to Pope Francis|first=Raul|last=Nidoy|access-date=24 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224115656/http://opinion.inquirer.net/82535/the-key-to-love-according-to-pope-francis|archive-date=24 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Christianity the practical definition of love is summarised by St. [[Thomas Aquinas]], who defined love as "to will the good of another," or to desire for another to succeed.<ref name="newadvent.org"/> This is an explanation of the Christian need to love others, including their enemies. As Thomas Aquinas explains, Christian love is motivated by the need to see others succeed in life, to be good people.

Regarding love for enemies, Jesus is quoted in the Gospel of Matthew chapter five:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
– Matthew 5: 43–48''.

Do not forget to love with forgiveness, Christ saved an adulterous woman from those who would stone her. A world of wronged hypocrites needs forgiving love. Mosaic Law would hold Deuteronomy 22:22-24 "If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel. If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbor's wife; so you shall put away the evil from among you."<ref>[[Jesus and the woman taken in adultery]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=March 2019}}

[[Tertullian]] wrote regarding love for enemies: "Our individual, extraordinary, and perfect goodness consists in loving our enemies. To love one's friends is common practice, to love one's enemies only among Christians."<ref>{{cite book | last=Swartley | first=Willard M. | title=The Love of Enemy and Nonretaliation in the New Testament, Studies in peace and scripture; (As Scapulam I) cited by Hans Haas, Idee und Ideal de Feindesliebe in der ausserchristlichen Welt (Leipzig: University of Leipzig, 1927) | publisher= Westminster John Knox Press | year= 1992 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qjbYqFHzg_EC&q=Our+individual%2C+extraordinary%2C+and+perfect+goodness&pg=PA26 |page=24 | isbn=978-0-664-25354-7}}</ref>

====Islam====
[[File:الودود.jpg|thumb|200px|alt=Al-Wadūd or The Loving is a name of God in Islam.|In Islam, one of the 99 names of God is {{Nowrap|''Al-Wadūd''}}, which means "The Loving"]]
Love encompasses the Islamic view of life as universal brotherhood that applies to all who hold faith. Amongst the 99 names of God ([[Allah]]), there is the name ''Al-Wadud'', or "the Loving One," which is found in Surah {{Quran-usc|11|90|q=}} as well as Surah {{Quran-usc|85|14|q=}}. God is also referenced at the beginning of every chapter in the Qur'an as ''Ar-Rahman'' and ''Ar-Rahim'', or the "Most Compassionate" and the "Most Merciful", indicating that nobody is more loving, compassionate and benevolent than God. The Qur'an refers to God as being "full of loving kindness."

The Qur'an exhorts Muslim believers to treat all people, those who have not persecuted them, with ''birr'' or "deep kindness" as stated in Surah {{Quran-usc|6|8-9|q=}}. ''Birr'' is also used by the Qur'an in describing the love and kindness that children must show to their parents.

''[[Ishq]]'', or divine love, is the emphasis of [[Sufism]] in the Islamic tradition. Practitioners of Sufism believe that love is a projection of the essence of God to the universe. God desires to recognize beauty, and as if one looks at a mirror to see oneself, God "looks" at himself within the dynamics of nature. Since everything is a reflection of God, the school of Sufism practices to see the beauty inside the apparently ugly. Sufism is often referred to as the religion of love.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lewisohn|first=Leonard|title=Cambridge Companions to Religion|date=2014|publisher=Cambridge: Cambridge University Press|pages=150–180}}</ref> God in Sufism is referred to in three main terms, which are the Lover, Loved, and Beloved, with the last of these terms being often seen in Sufi poetry. A common viewpoint of Sufism is that through love, humankind can get back to its inherent purity and grace. The saints of Sufism are infamous for being "drunk" due to their [[love of God]]; hence, the constant reference to wine in Sufi poetry and music.

Aziz Nasafi, a famous [[Muslims|Muslim]] [[Mysticism|mystic]] from [[Central Asia]] and [[Iran]], wrote the “Epistle on Love” (''Risala fi’l Ishq'') in his work, ''The Book of the Perfect Man (Kitab Insan al-Kamil)''. In the epistle, he draws parallels between love and the [[Dhikr|remembrance]] of God. He explains that both love and [[Dhikr|remembrance]] have four stages. These four stages are inclination (''mayl''), desire (''iradat''), affection (''mahabbat'') and love (''‘ishq''). He explains that these four stages lead the lover on a journey through which his love for his beloved progressively strengthens, until he becomes completely immersed in the beloved and the beloved becomes a part of him. Similarly, a ‘rememberer’ (of God) progresses through the stages until God becomes predominant in his heart.<ref name=":0" />

====Bahá'í Faith====
In his [[Paris Talks]], [[`Abdu'l-Bahá]] described four types of love: the love that flows from God to human beings; the love that flows from human beings to God; the love of God towards the Self or Identity of God; and the love of human beings for human beings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PT/pt-59.html|title=Bahá'í Reference Library – Paris Talks|pages=179–181|website=reference.bahai.org|access-date=4 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820183227/http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PT/pt-59.html|archive-date=20 August 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Indian===
====Buddhism====
In [[Buddhism]], ''[[Kāma]]'' is sensuous, sexual love. It is an obstacle on the path to [[enlightenment (Buddhism)|enlightenment]], since it is selfish. ''[[Karuṇā]]'' is compassion and mercy, which reduces the suffering of others. It is complementary to wisdom and is necessary for enlightenment. ''Adveṣa'' and ''[[mettā]]'' are benevolent love. This love is unconditional and requires considerable self-acceptance. This is quite different from ordinary love, which is usually about attachment and sex and which rarely occurs without self-interest. Instead, in Buddhism it refers to detachment and unselfish interest in others' welfare.

The [[Bodhisattva]] ideal in Mahayana Buddhism involves the complete renunciation of oneself in order to take on the burden of a suffering world. The strongest motivation one has in order to take the path of the Bodhisattva is the idea of salvation within unselfish, altruistic love for all sentient beings.

====Hinduism====
{{Main|Kama|Kama Sutra}}
<!-- Prem (Hinduism) redirects here -->
[[File:Kama Rati.jpg|thumb|upright|Kama (left) with Rati on a temple wall of [[Chennakesava Temple]], [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]]]]
In [[Hinduism]], ''[[kāma]]'' is pleasurable, sexual love, personified by the god [[Kamadeva]]. For many Hindu schools, it is the third end (''[[Kama#Kama in Hinduism|Kama]]'') in life. Kamadeva is often pictured holding a bow of [[sugar cane]] and an arrow of flowers; he may ride upon a great parrot. He is usually accompanied by his consort [[Rati]] and his companion Vasanta, lord of the spring season. Stone images of Kamadeva and Rati can be seen on the door of the Chennakeshava temple at Belur, in [[Karnataka]], [[India]]. ''Maara'' is another name for ''kāma''.

In contrast to ''kāma'', ''prema''{{spaced ndash}}or ''prem''{{spaced ndash}}refers to elevated love. ''[[Karuṇā|Karuna]]'' is compassion and mercy, which impels one to help reduce the suffering of others. ''Bhakti'' is a [[Sanskrit]] term, meaning "loving devotion to the supreme God." A person who practices ''bhakti'' is called a ''bhakta''. Hindu writers, theologians, and philosophers have distinguished nine forms of ''[[bhakti]]'', which can be found in the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'' and works by [[Tulsidas]]. The philosophical work ''[[Narada Bhakti Sutra]]s'', written by an unknown author (presumed to be [[Narada]]), distinguishes eleven forms of love.

In certain Vaishnava sects within Hinduism, attaining unadulterated, unconditional and incessant love for Godhead is considered the foremost goal of life. Gaudiya Vaishnavas who worship Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the cause of all causes consider Love for Godhead (Prema) to act in two ways: sambhoga and vipralambha (union and separation)—two opposites.<ref name="Krishna Prema">{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150168632408280|author=Gour Govinda Swami|title=Wonderful Characteristic of Krishna Prema, Gour Govinda Swami|access-date=7 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129064142/https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150168632408280|archive-date=29 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the condition of separation, there is an acute yearning for being with the beloved and in the condition of union, there is supreme happiness and nectarean. Gaudiya Vaishnavas consider that Krishna-prema (Love for Godhead) is not fire but that it still burns away one's material desires. They consider that Kṛṣṇa-prema is not a weapon, but it still pierces the heart. It is not water, but it washes away everything—one's pride, religious rules, and one's shyness. Krishna-prema is considered to make one drown in the ocean of transcendental ecstasy and pleasure. The love of Radha, a cowherd girl, for Krishna is often cited as the supreme example of love for Godhead by Gaudiya Vaishnavas. Radha is considered to be the internal potency of Krishna, and is the supreme lover of Godhead. Her example of love is considered to be beyond the understanding of material realm as it surpasses any form of selfish love or lust that is visible in the material world. The reciprocal love between Radha (the supreme lover) and Krishna (God as the Supremely Loved) is the subject of many poetic compositions in India such as the ''[[Gita Govinda]]'' and ''Hari Bhakti Shuddhodhaya.''

In the Bhakti tradition within Hinduism, it is believed that execution of devotional service to God leads to the development of Love for God ''(taiche bhakti-phale krsne prema upajaya)'', and as love for God increases in the heart, the more one becomes free from material contamination ''(krishna-prema asvada haile, bhava nasa paya)''. Being perfectly in love with God or Krishna makes one perfectly free from material contamination. and this is the ultimate way of salvation or liberation. In this tradition, salvation or liberation is considered inferior to love, and just an incidental by-product. Being absorbed in Love for God is considered to be the perfection of life.<ref name="Perfect Love">{{cite web|url=http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/?p=23368|author=A C Bhaktivedanta Swami|title=Being Perfectly in Love|access-date=7 January 2012|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20141123025652/http%3A//www.prabhupadanugas.eu/?p%3D23368|archive-date=23 November 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Political views==

===Free love===
{{Main|Free love}}
The term "free love" has been used<ref>[http://library.syr.edu/digital/collections/h/Hand-bookOfTheOneidaCommunity/ The Handbook] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613152552/http://library.syr.edu/digital/collections/h/Hand-bookOfTheOneidaCommunity/ |date=13 June 2010 }} of the [[Oneida Community]] claims to have coined the term around 1850, and laments that its use was appropriated by [[socialist]]s to attack marriage, an institution that they felt protected women and children from abandonment</ref> to describe a [[social movement]] that rejects [[marriage]], which is seen as a form of social bondage. The Free Love movement's initial goal was to separate the state from sexual matters such as marriage, [[birth control]], and [[adultery]]. It claimed that such issues were the concern of the people involved, and no one else.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = McElroy | first1 = Wendy | year = 1996 | title = The Free Love Movement and Radical Individualism | journal = Libertarian Enterprise | volume = 19 | page = 1 }}</ref>

Many people in the early 19th century believed that marriage was an important aspect of life to "fulfill earthly human happiness." Middle-class Americans wanted the home to be a place of stability in an uncertain world. This mentality created a vision of strongly defined gender roles, which provoked the advancement of the free love movement as a contrast.<ref name="Spurlock, John C 1988">Spurlock, John C. ''Free Love Marriage and Middle-Class Radicalism in America''. New York, NY: New York UP, 1988.</ref>

The term "sex radical" has been used interchangeably with the term "free lover".{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} By whatever name, advocates had two strong beliefs: opposition to the idea of forceful sexual activity in a relationship and advocacy for a woman to use her body in any way that she pleases.<ref name="Passet, Joanne E 2003">Passet, Joanne E. ''Sex Radicals and the Quest for Women's Equality''. Chicago: U of Illinois P, 2003.</ref> These are also beliefs of [[Feminism]].<ref name="auto">{{Citation | title= Love's Lessons: Intimacy, Pedagogy and Political Community| first1= Timothy | last1= Laurie | first2= Hannah | last2= Stark | journal=Angelaki: Journal of the Theoretical Humanities | volume= 22 | issue= 4 | pages= 69–79 | year= 2017 | url = https://www.academia.edu/35349930 | doi=10.1080/0969725x.2017.1406048| s2cid= 149182610 }}</ref>

==Philosophical views==
{{Main|Philosophy of love}}
[[File:Where is the love.jpg|thumb|[[Graffiti]] in [[East Timor]]]]

The philosophy of love is a field of [[social philosophy]] and [[ethics]] that attempts to [[explanation|explain]] the nature of love.<ref>Soren Kierkegaard. ''Works of Love.''</ref> The philosophical investigation of love includes the tasks of distinguishing between the various kinds of personal love, asking if and how love is or can be justified, asking what the [[value (ethics)|value]] of love is, and what impact love has on the [[autonomy]] of both the lover and the beloved.<ref name="auto"/>

=== bell hooks ===
[[All About Love: New Visions]] is a critically acclaimed text by feminist scholar [[bell hooks]]. This text offers a rendering of love that is multifaceted; it is painted not as a static thing we derive pleasure from but is verb, an action.“An individual does not need to be a believer in a religion to embrace the idea that there is an  animating principal in the self-- a life force (some of us call it soul) that when nurtured enhances our capacity to be more fully self actualized and able to engage in communion with the world around us.  To begin by always thinking of love as an action rather than a feeling is one way in which anyone using the word in this manner automatically assumes accountability and responsibility.” In that action she names components such as care, responsibility, respect, commitment, and trust as essential components to the act of loving.<ref>{{cite book |last1=hooks |first1=bell |title=All about love : new visions |date=2001|publisher=Perennial |location=New York |isbn=978-0060959470|pages=272 |edition=1st Perennial}}</ref>

=== Martin Buber ===

The text ''I and Thou'' by Jewish philosopher [[Martin Buber]], is a radicalization of the [[Hegelian]] understanding of self and focuses on the interpersonal space between selves. He makes the argument that beings generally approach the world from the mode of an ‘I-It’ relation. A conscience being must objectify the world of things and other beings to be able to understand them. He feels this kind of objectification and categorization is necessary to make sense of the world and conduct oneself in it. “Every You in the world is doomed by its nature to become a thing or at least to enter thinghood again and again”. But there is another mode for the self to exist in, the ‘I-Thou’ or ‘I-You’ relation. This relation is a mode that you can only step into with another conscience being and is outside of the understanding. It can not be made knowable, it is a personal space between these two being and leaves both beings with their particularities, meaning it does not objectify or categorize them. It is the mode of relation where love resides. “Feelings accompany the [[metaphysical]] and metapsychical fact of love, but they do not constitute it; and the feelings that accompany it can be very different. Jesus’ feeling for the possessed man is different from his feeling for the beloved disciple; but the love is one. Feelings one ‘has’; love occurs. Feelings dwell in man, but man dwells in his love. This is not metaphor but actuality: love does not cling to an I, as if the You were merely its ‘content’ or object; it is between I and You. Whoever does not know this, know this with his being, does not know love, even if he should ascribe to it the feelings that he lives through, experiences, enjoys, and expresses. Love is a cosmic force.”<ref>{{cite book |last1=Buber |first1=Martin |title=I and Thou |date=1970 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |location=New York |isbn=0-684-71725-5 |pages=192}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[Color wheel theory of love]]
* [[Human bonding]]
* [[Love at first sight]]
* [[Polyamory]]
* [[Romance (love)]]
* [[Self-love]]
* [[Social connection]]
* Traditional forms, [[Agape]], [[Philia]], [[Philautia]], [[Storge (familial love)|Storge]], [[Eros (concept)|Eros]]: Greek terms for [[Greek words for love|love]]
*[[Relationship Science]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Chadwick|first=Henry|title=Saint Augustine Confessions|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1998|isbn=978-0-19-283372-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Fisher|first=Helen|title=Why We Love: the Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love|isbn=978-0-8050-6913-6|year=2004|url=https://archive.org/details/whywelove00hele|publisher=New York : H. Holt}}
* {{cite journal |author=Giles, James|title=A theory of love and sexual desire|year=1994|journal=Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour|volume=24|pages=339–357|doi=10.1111/j.1468-5914.1994.tb00259.x|issue=4}}
* {{cite book |last=Kierkegaard|first=Søren|title=Works of Love|location=New York City|publisher=Harper Perennial Modern Classics|year=2009|isbn=978-0-06-171327-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Oord|first=Thomas Jay|title=Defining Love: A Philosophical, Scientific, and Theological Engagement|location=Grand Rapids, MI|publisher=Brazos|year=2010|isbn=978-1-58743-257-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Singer|first=Irving|title=The Nature of Love|volume=(in three volumes)|publisher=Random House|year=1966|edition=v.1 reprinted and later volumes from The University of Chicago Press, 1984|isbn=978-0-226-76094-0|url=https://archive.org/details/natureoflove0000sing}}
* {{cite journal |author=Sternberg, R.J.|title=A triangular theory of love|year=1986|journal=Psychological Review|volume=93|pages=119–135|doi=10.1037/0033-295X.93.2.119|issue=2}}
* {{cite journal |author=Sternberg, R.J.|title=Liking versus loving: A comparative evaluation of theories|year=1987|journal=Psychological Bulletin|volume=102|pages=331–345|doi=10.1037/0033-2909.102.3.331|issue=3}}
* {{cite book|last=Tennov|first=Dorothy|title=Love and Limerence: the Experience of Being in Love|location=New York|publisher=Stein and Day|year=1979|isbn=978-0-8128-6134-1|url=https://archive.org/details/lovelimerenceexp00tenn}}
* {{cite book|author=Wood Samuel E., Ellen Wood and Denise Boyd|title=The World of Psychology|edition=5th|year=2005|publisher=Pearson Education|pages=[https://archive.org/details/masteringworldof00wood/page/402 402–403]|isbn=978-0-205-35868-7|url=https://archive.org/details/masteringworldof00wood/page/402}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |editor=Bayer, A| title= Art and love in Renaissance Italy | location=New York | publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art | year=2008 | url= http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15324coll10/id/53033}}

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|d=Q316|v=Have a Happy Relationship|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|n=no|b=no|c=Category:Love}}
* [http://www.iep.utm.edu/love-his/ History of Love], ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy''
* {{Curlie|Society/Relationships/Friendship/|Friendship}}
* {{Curlie|Society/Philanthropy/|Philanthropy}}
* {{Curlie|Society/Relationships/Romance/|Romance}}

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[[Category:Love| ]]
[[Category:Emotions]]
[[Category:Ethical principles]]
[[Category:Fruit of the Holy Spirit]]
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