There are many different types of love. There is the love we feel for our families, the love we feel for our children and the love we feel for our partners, for example. And whether it’s platonic or romantic, at some point we all have either been in love, or loved someone dearly.
I think love makes the world go around and life begins and ends with it. It is human nature to love and without it, life will never really be complete.
Benefits of love
Love brings many psychological and physiological benefits. Here are a few:
● Less stress
● Less pain
● More happiness
● Better sleep
● Reduced depression/anxiety
● Lower blood pressure
Different types of love
● Eros: Sexual or passionate love. This is the kind of love where we fall head over heels.
● Philia: This type of love is synonymous with friendship. The great Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that Philia and Eros went hand in hand in that the best lovers should (in theory) make the best friends.
● Storge: The kind of love parents feel toward their children. It differs from philia in that it is unilateral, especially in the case of younger children. This love comes with the ‘protection’ instinct that is natural to parents.
● Agape: This is the kind of universal love that we may feel for people or a superior being. It does not require familiarity and it is synonymous with altruism in that it brings pleasure to give selflessly without hoping for anything in return.
● Ludus: Playful or uncommitted love. The kind of love where there are no strings attached and it is fun-based.
● Pragma: The pragmatic kind of love where lust and desire are placed on the back burner and goals and common interests are at the centre. In some cases, some relationships start off as Eros or Ludus but transition into pragma.
● Philautia: This is self-love of the balanced kind. It is where we reach a place where we are open to growth , experiences and relationships and where we are tolerant of risk and accepting and forgiving of ourselves and others.
There is always going to be an intermixing of the different types of love. Remember, to love must mean that we achieve life’s most important end goal: happiness.
Alicia Roopnaraine is a Psychologist at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s Psychiatric Department. You can send questions or comments to her at aliciaroopnaraine@gmail.com