What Are The Different Types Of Love?
Key takeaways
- Love comes in various forms, including romantic love, platonic love, and parental love.
- Understanding the different types of love may be beneficial to your relationships.
- Online relationship therapy can enhance communication and intimacy in relationships.
We all know when we feel love, but it can be hard to define. Perhaps that’s because there are many different types of love that we feel for people. The Greeks theorized love, listing many different types. Today, we often recognize romantic, platonic, and familial love along with love for children as some of the main types. Since love is essential for human beings, each of these types of love has emotional implications.
What is love?
- Respect
- Attachment
- Affection
- Commitment
What are the types of love?
There are many different types of love. The Greeks created a comprehensive list of various kinds of love, including:
- Eros (romantic/sexual love)
- Philia (friendship)
- Storge (familial love)
- Agape (altruism)
- Ludus (playful love)
- Pragma (enduring love)
- Philautia (self-love)
- Mania (obsession)
Emotional roles of different types of love
Various types of love may play different emotional roles in our lives. The Greek philautia, for instance, is self-love. When we practice self-love, our self-compassion and self-worth may grow, allowing us to be more confident and resilient. Universal love can help us to feel connected to others and behave compassionately toward them. Ludus, or playful love, can bring joy and lightheartedness into our lives. Obsessive love, on the other hand, is often a result of attachment disorders and can have a damaging emotional effect, especially when it develops into a disorder.
What kind of love is romantic love?
Romantic love involves an emotional state of deep affection, caring, emotional attraction, and physical attraction toward another person.
The emotional role of romantic love
Romantic love (called eros love by the Greeks) is a passionate love that involves romantic feelings and sexual passion (although sexual attraction does not necessarily equal love). Romantic love also involves a craving for emotional closeness that, once it passes the early stages, can develop into a lasting romantic partnership. Committed romantic partners can support and fulfill one another sexually, emotionally, and practically.
What type of love is friendship?
Friendship love, called “philia” by the Greeks, is a deep emotional bond between two people. It’s characterized by caring and affection and is free of romantic and sexual feelings.
The emotional role of friendship
The platonic love between best friends or very good friends has numerous emotional benefits. Friends can offer us both emotional and practical support, listening to us with an empathetic ear, helping us to solve problems, and lending a hand when needed. This can help us to feel emotionally connected and supported.
What is familial love?
Familial love, called “storge” by the Greeks, is the deep affection and warmth felt among family members.
The emotional role of familial love
The love between family members is often a foundational source of support. Family members can offer an emotional home base where one can feel safe and have a sense of belonging.
What kind of love do parents feel for children?
Parents typically have a deep and unconditional love for their children, accepting them as they are and protecting them despite the circumstances.
The emotional role of parental love for children
Parents feel an affectionate love for their children, supporting them with unconditional love as they grow. Parents who offer their children this kind of secure attachment allow their children to grow up confident, emotionally intelligent, and resilient.
Is it helpful to attend therapy?
If you’ve experienced communication and intimacy difficulties in any type of relationship, therapy can be an important part of healing. Therapy is available for couples, families, and individuals.
How it works
Tell us about your goals and preferences so we can find a great fit.
Start together or switch to individual support at any time.
Message anytime and schedule live sessions when it works for you.
Couples therapy for the romantic type of love
If you have a hard time knowing how to express love within a romantic relationship, it may be helpful for you to attend couples therapy. A couples therapist can help you communicate effectively with your partner and learn their unique love languages.
Individual and family therapy
In addition to couples therapy, individual therapy and family therapy can also be beneficial in the modern world. Individual therapy can help you identify personal challenges that may be affecting your relationships. Likewise, family therapy can help family members recognize and change unhealthy relationship patterns.
Is online therapy effective?
Find the right therapist for your relationship.
Would you like to begin therapy as a couple?
Online couples therapy has been studied extensively and found to be comparable to in-person therapy in many cases. Many couples find online therapy to be the more convenient option, especially when navigating two different schedules.
Takeaway
What is the strongest type of love?
According to research, parental love may be the strongest type of love in terms of how many areas of the brain are activated while experiencing it. Parental love, romantic love, and love for friends may be stronger than love for pets, strangers, and nature, according to the same study.
Which type of love hurts the most?
The most painful type of love is thought to be unrequited love. When you love someone and those feelings aren’t returned, it can be deeply painful and may even harm your self-esteem.
What is the deepest kind of love?
The Ancient Greeks believed that agape love (selfless love) was the deepest kind of love. Agape is one of the eight types of love and involves selfless compassion for others. A few other types of love, according to beliefs from Ancient Greece, include enduring love (pragma), playful love (ludus), self-love (philautia), and obsessive love (mania).
What is the saddest type of love?
Some consider unrequited love the saddest type of love. When you desire a deep emotional connection with someone but they don’t feel the same way, it may be helpful to engage in small acts of self-care and recognize that you are still worthy of love.
Can someone hurt you and still love you?
It can be possible for someone to hurt you but still love you. People don’t always hurt others intentionally, and everyone makes mistakes sometimes. What may matter the most is how a person behaves after accidentally hurting you. It can be important to be aware of the signs of abuse in relationships.
How do you know when love is not enough?
It can be challenging to determine when love isn’t enough to sustain a relationship. In many cases, it can be helpful to consider whether you and your partner have shared values and plans for the future. Speaking with a couples therapist can provide you with more personalized guidance.
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