What Is Love?

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?Oh baby, don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me. No more. ?Sorry, I had to. Where was I going with this…oh right! …What is love? Hmm, it’s hard to say, really. After all, the meaning is different for everyone. Typically, though, when people hear the word “love,” they tend to think of it only in a romantic sense, but that’s not always the case! As a matter of fact, the ancient Greeks believed that there are 8 different types of love in this world:

♡ Eros

♡ Philia 

♡ Storge 

♡ Ludus

♡ Mania

♡ Pragma 

♡ Philautia 

♡ Agape

Now, you’re probably thinking, (or not, I just need a sentence to segway into my explanations of these words), what do those words even mean (or a more “colorful” version of that sentence)? Well, don’t worry (I highly doubt you were), I’ll explain them to you!

♡ Eros ♡

Some of you (or not) may recognize the word “Eros,” as the name of the Greek god of love and passion. So, of course, this type of love is the romantic and passionate kind. This is the kind of love people usually think of when they hear the word. It’s intense, to put it simply, so intense to the point where the ancient Greeks believed this kind of love was dangerous. 

♡ Philia ♡

This is the love we have for our friends! This type of love is just as strong and important, if not more than, Eros. Sometimes our love for our friends is even stronger than our love for our family, and that’s okay!

♡ Storge ♡ 

Speaking of family, this is the kind of love we have for them! Whether it be the love one has for their parent(s), their sibling(s), their children, or even long time friends- who just feel like family, this type of love is unconditional. 

♡ Ludus ♡

This is the playful kind of love! It’s like when you first start having a crush on someone, that giddy feeling whenever you think about them, having butterflies in your stomach whenever you see them, or laughing and joking around with them. It’s childish, but it’s exciting and sweet.

♡ Mania ♡ 

Remember what I said, about how the ancient Greeks thought Eros love could be dangerous because of how intense it was? Well, this is Eros love gone wrong, like totally wrong! This is the kind of “love” (if you could even call it that which you shouldn’t) that’s obsessive and very unhealthy. No good can come from it. 

♡ Pragma ♡

This is the kind of love that lasts. The love that you see between old couples sometimes. The love that becomes more deep and meaningful as time passes. The love where a couple can happily sit together in comfortable silence. To me, this is the second most important kind of love. What’s the first one then?

♡ Philautia ♡

Why, it’s SELF LOVE! Self love is so important. After all, people come and go but you’re always going to have yourself, so make sure to practice self love whenever you can. 

♡ Agape ♡

This is a selfless, unconditional kind of love. The love we have for everyone (maybe not everyone, but let’s be sentimental here). Empathy for others is what makes us human. 

And there you have it! The 8 (or 7 actually, because Mania definitely shouldn’t be considered a type of love), different types of love. So, when Valentine’s Day inevitably comes around, just remember, it’s not just a celebration for romantic love, it’s a celebration for all kinds of it!