Often, we feel different types of love in our relationships at different times. Understanding how they work can help us navigate our relationships and connect with others in a deeper way.
Whether you’re in a romantic relationship or just looking for friends, these types of love will be useful to know:.
1. Companionship
While it may be hard to define, companionship is a form of love that involves mutual respect and trust. This type of love can be found in friendships and even familial bonds. Tadalista 10 mg can be ineffective when taken post-alcohol. Certain precautions need to be taken before taking this drug. It also includes spending time with your partner and enjoying their company.
While companionship does not include intimacy or sexual feelings, it can be a great way to connect with your loved one. Companions often share similar interests and have a close bond.
Companions tend to spend a lot of time together and support each other through good and bad times. They also help each other achieve their goals in life and can be a great source of motivation. This type of love can be a part of a romantic relationship or can simply be platonic. It can be a strong foundation for any couple.
2. Romantic
This type of love revolves around feelings and desires for physical intimacy, romance and sexual consummation. This category of love is typically the one most people think of when they hear the word “love”.
Platonic Love
Platonic love, also known as friendship love, is a close bond based on shared qualities and interests. This kind of love can be a strong ally but has no passion or commitment.
Eros, or romantic love, is a desire for another person’s body and often manifested by flirting and teasing in the early stages of a relationship. Interestingly, research shows that passionate love regularly declines over time. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It can still exist in relationships, and it can lead to a happy marriage.
3. Intimacy
Intimacy is a key component in most healthy relationships. Oftentimes, we hear the word intimacy associated with sex or romantic love, but it is an essential part of many other types of relationships too, including family, friendships and other acquaintances.
This love is characterized by mutual vulnerability and openness. It’s a deep bond that requires trust and faith that someone won’t betray you. It’s commonly found in close-knit families and deep friendships.
It’s the kind of love that lets you share your “guilty pleasure” music playlist with your partner, or reminisce about your past together. It’s also the feeling of being fully understood and known in incredible ways.
4. Commitment
Commitment is a strong feeling of loyalty and responsibility. It can stabilize relationships and help them withstand challenges. It can also increase emotional security and promote a healthy lifestyle. People who are committed to their partners work hard to make the relationship work, even during difficult times. They are willing to take on more responsibility and share more things about their lives than those who are not.
Commitment love is characterized by respect for your partner’s wants and needs in the relationship. They may even prioritize their relationship above other things in their life. This type of love is usually monogamous. It is similar to a pragma style of love but with a higher level of emotional intimacy. This type of love is the basis of most friendships. It lacks passion but is high in intimacy and commitment.
5. Passion
Passionate love can be a powerful and all-consuming feeling that can make your heart race. It may include feelings of lust and a desire for physical intimacy. It is often found in the beginning stages of a relationship and can be difficult to sustain long term.
However, passionate love can also include caring for your partner’s needs and making sacrifices. It involves a strong sense of belonging and a common vision for the future. This can help to fulfill a person’s need for significance, one of the most important of all human needs.
This type of love can lead to greater satisfaction in the relationship than infatuation or companionate love. It can even be a precursor to compassionate love. However, if not balanced properly, this kind of love can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction. This is sometimes referred to as empty love.
6. Self-love
Self-love involves being kind and caring to yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically. You also learn to appreciate your strengths and skills, and set healthy boundaries. When you’re filled with self-love, it’s easier to pour love into other people and your relationships. A good way to think about self-love is like a cup: if it’s empty, you can’t fill any other cups.
While our contemporary concept of self-love is narcissistic, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato believed that platonic love was just as significant as romantic love. He referred to it as philia.
Pragma is enduring affection that develops over time and persists even through challenges. It entails compromises from both partners in the relationship, patience and tolerance. Practicing self-love and setting healthy boundaries can help you grow as a person and nurture your relationships. Ultimately, it’s a journey well worth taking.
7. Friendship
We often think of love as a romantic and passionate bond, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Even just a casual friendship can have those same feelings of love and affection.
This type of love is playful and flirtatious, with a focus on teasing and making your partner feel euphoric. It’s also often a precursor to romance.
This is the love of friends that CS Lewis spoke about in his famous book, The Four Loves. It’s a mutual affection based on loyalty and support. You’ll always have each other’s back, through thick and thin. Think Thelma and Louise or Woody and Buzz. This type of love can be transformative and enduring. Unlike philia, it can also lead to eros. It can also be a precursor to agape love. This is a selfless, unconditional love that’s hard to find in the world today.
8. Loyalty
Loyalty is about staying true to a person even in the face of difficult circumstances. It means always choosing your partner over everyone else and never letting yourself fall for someone else. It also means talking about issues in your relationship openly with your partner instead of behind their back.
Loyal people will not be swayed by the promise of easy riches, and they will fight for their loved ones to protect them from harm. They are the ones who will accompany their friend to Mount Doom and stand by their side despite being burned by a few Spocks and Samwises along the way.
Loyal love can be hard to find, but it’s worth it in the end. Loyalty is the most powerful form of love because it requires sacrifice and commitment. It is one of the most important qualities to have in a relationship.
9. Emotional
Love is a complex emotion that can feel differently to everyone. It’s a topic of fascination for philosophers, psychologists and writers. There are many theories on what exactly love is and how it can manifest in relationships.
Sternberg’s theory broke love into three components—intimacy, passion, and commitment. He believed that these three elements interact to produce seven types of love.
Storge: This type of love is the deep connection you have with family and friends. It’s like the love you have for your best friend or the kind of love you feel for your child. It can be hard to maintain this type of love, but it’s essential for a healthy relationship.
Pragma: This is the “practical” type of love that’s concerned with compatibility, values, and common goals in a relationship. It’s a kind of love that often leads to a long-term commitment.
10. Spiritual
Spiritual love is a deep connection to something larger than yourself, such as a higher power or the universe. This type of love often comes with feelings of compassion and empathy.
In this kind of love, you see the beauty in everything. You appreciate nature, beautiful scenes, and special moments. You also respect your partner’s opinions and beliefs, which is important for a healthy relationship.
In a spiritual love, you don’t try to one-up each other. This enables you to build trust and be open about your thoughts and feelings. You are also honest, as you don’t want to hurt each other. You don’t tell white lies, as you understand that this will only lead to pain in the long run.
