Why are so many of always wondering what the meaning of love is? Is it out of fear of uncertainty in a relationship? Or is it because we ourselves have been accused of not showing love for someone? And why is it that, even when we don’t fully understand what exactly love is, we tend to make decisions–good and bad–based on love?

DEFINING ‘LOVE’ IN DIFFERENT VARIANTS
Love is one of the most profound emotions we experience as humans. It’s bigger than us, meaning, though we can invite it into our lives, we do not have the control over the how, when and where love starts to express itself. Maybe that’s why 72% of people believe in love at first sight. Sometimes, love truly does strike like a bolt of lightening to the chest, and you aren’t prepared for it.

Since love is inherently free, we spend nights tossing and turning in an attempt to understand what it is, and how to know if we have it. How do you define something so uncontrollable and versatile?

That’s the tricky thing about love, we can feel it in a variety of different states–when we’re happy, sad, angry, confused or excited–and our attitudes about love can range from affectionate love, to infatuation and pleasure. We even use love as an action, as a force to keep our relationships with partners, or friends and family, together.

The ancient Greeks used seven words to define the different states of love we can experience: