What Does It Mean to Be in Love?

Love is a complex concept, and people have many different ideas about what it means to be in love. It’s hard to define because it has multiple meanings and is a subjective experience, but most people agree that it involves closeness, passion and commitment. It also has religious and spiritual significance.

In addition to the feelings of lust, attraction, and attachment, love can also include the desire for companionship, acceptance, security, trust, respect, empathy, vulnerability, honesty, and a desire to celebrate a person’s uniqueness. It can be experienced in a variety of ways, from a crush to romantic love to platonic friendship and family affection. While it’s commonly portrayed in fairy tales, true love is a difficult thing to achieve because it requires overcoming obstacles like jealousy, fear and insecurity.

It can feel like an inexplicable, out-of-control rush when you’re in love. In fact, scientific research suggests that the butterflies in your stomach and racing heart are caused by a jumble of chemicals, including dopamine, adrenaline and serotonin, released by the brain when you think about someone you like. Once you’ve reached the second stage of love, known as attraction, the dopamine and adrenaline are replaced by the oxytocin hormone that causes you to feel the “cuddle” feeling when you’re with that person.

The next stage of love, affection, is when you begin to care about the other person and their well-being. This is when you begin to sacrifice your own interests for theirs. It’s when you start to develop long-term plans for your life together and consider them part of your identity as a couple. This is the stage where you might get in arguments or even fights, but if you’re both committed to staying in the relationship you can overcome these challenges.

A third stage of love is the feeling of loyalty and fidelity. This is when you make promises to stay loyal to the other person and stick by their side through thick and thin. It’s the stage where you might be willing to forgive a mistake or take on an unpleasant task in order to prove that you’re still there for them. This is the kind of love that’s necessary for a successful marriage, and it’s what keeps many friendships strong.

In a long-term relationship, the stress hormone cortisol drops to a low level when you’re in a stable and loving relationship. This is known as eustress, and it’s associated with lower blood pressure and a healthier heart. This type of love is also associated with better mental health and overall wellbeing. However, you can’t always expect to be in a healthy state of eustress, as many relationships end up falling short of this goal due to the normal stresses and difficulties of daily life.