What is love? Today, we’re going to uncover the definition of love and decipher one of the most profound emotions out there.
Romantic love is what all human beings strive to find in this world. We invite it into our lives, often not fully prepared to deal with what the word love encompasses.
First and foremost, true love is more than physical attraction. It’s more than pure lust (commonly referred to as Eros). It’s different from the type of love you feel for your family members.
Not necessarily in a better way. But definitely in a much more delicate and fragile one.
See also: Agape Love – The Highest Form Of Devotion In The Universe
What Is Love And How Does It Affect People?
Romantic love is blind. It is known for its intensity, selflessness, a sense of unwavering trust, and mutual respect.
It’s the kind of love that fills your body with oxytocin, vasopressin, serotonin, and dopamine, all of which create feelings of immense happiness and euphoria that are also connected to desire and excitement.
Not all forms of love are the same. Not all of them will make you do crazy things without first stopping to think for a second.
True love can make you lose your sense of self in a way that makes you put your partner’s needs above your own.
Why is love important? Because it nurtures your soul and feeds your mind.
It changes your point of view and improves your self-esteem. It has a positive effect on your well-being and makes you an all-around better person.
Unconditional love is the type of love that transcends passionate love and allows you to see through your loved one‘s flaws.
This type of love means that you’re committed and devoted to them through thick and thin. You stick around when everything is going smoothly, as well as when life kicks you in the nuts.
You likely have your own definition of love. We all do. What I feel for my partner is difficult to put into words, yet, its power makes it feel almost palpable.
People who uncover the real meaning of love enjoy healthy, happy long-term relationships based on more than desire and needs. They have the type of romantic love that books are written about.
Those who check off the boxes below have created a loving and lasting relationship that will likely stand the test of time. Are you one of them?
See also: 10 Signs Your Boyfriend Is Actually Your Best Friend
Some Of The Purest Definitions Of Love
The definition of ‘what is love’ is explored in the signs below. If these are reflective of what you have with your partner, congrats! You’ve found your ‘jackpot’ relationship.
Love is mutual compatibility.
When you break it all down, love is about being compatible with each other. A relationship cannot survive two partners who are innately different.
Love means having the same values, beliefs, and expectations. It’s being on the same wavelength as your best friend and sharing similar political and moral views.
Opposites attract but compatibility bonds you for life.
A relationship needs to have common ground that love can grow from. Without it, it’s doomed to wither away eventually.
Love is being committed to each other.
True love is a commitment. It’s giving your word and sticking to it. It means being there for each other through thick and thin.
Love will take you on a rollercoaster ride, but it will lead you back to one another every single time.
Life happens, obstacles make things hard, and love gets tested along the way. But real, romantic love will always find a way. Why? Because you’re both in it to stay.
While some relationships are here merely to teach you a lesson, if two people are meant to be together, they will always find their way back to each other.
Love is a sense of purpose.
One of the most beautiful things about love is that it gives you a sense of purpose. Before meeting the love of my life, I’m not ashamed to say that I was a little bit lost.
And I don’t mean it in the sense that I needed someone to complete me. I have always been fine on my own.
But when you meet that one person who instantly makes you realize what you’ve been missing all your life, you’ll understand what I mean.
This person gives you a newfound purpose – a purpose of being better, doing better, and making every day count.
Only after meeting them do you finally feel like the person you were always supposed to be. Only now, you’ll have a partner in crime alongside you who’ll always have your back.
See also: Why Men Pull Away Early Stages
Love is chemistry.
Love can be described as a powerful neurological condition when observed from a strictly scientific point of view.
Innately, we’re talking about a type of chemistry that cannot be controlled, no matter how hard you try.
Do you know that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you meet someone that you just can’t explain? A sense of belonging that you just can’t shake off?
When you experience true love, your brain releases chemicals into your brain, all of which allow you to experience it in inexplicable ways. That’s chemistry in a nutshell.
It’s an abundance of feelings, all of which make you feel happy, giddy, and like you’re on top of the world. And all of that due to one exquisite human being.
RELATED: 10 Steps To Manifesting Love With A Specific Person Using The Law Of Attraction
Love is inherently free.
You can’t make someone love you. Love can’t be bought, nor can it be traded. It isn’t about power or having the upper hand.
Love is free. Love is liberating. Love is pure, and it makes you feel unfettered.
Unlike all the other relationships you’ve experienced before, this one doesn’t weigh you down. It doesn’t come with stipulations or conditions that make you feel trapped.
The sense of freedom romantic love has makes you want to go out there and reach for the stars.
This might sound cheesy, but when you meet the person you were destined to be with, you feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders, and you can finally breathe and just be yourself.
Love is selflessness.
A widely known and respected anthropologist and expert on all things love, Helen Fisher, claims that love transcends the word ’emotion.’ It operates on a whole new level that is deeply rooted in all human beings.
This, in turn, creates a selfless union full of loyalty, companionship, and compassion. It doesn’t allow destructive behavior, but instead, it nurtures mutual growth and maturity.
You may ask yourself: What is love really? It’s very simple. We’re talking about a loving relationship between two people who continually grow alongside each other, never wanting to leave their side.
They selflessly put each other first and never keep score. If they fight, it’s to find a mutual solution, never to win.
When you experience such a thing, you never have to ask yourself questions like: What is love bombing? Because your definition of love speaks for itself.
You live it every single day, selflessly, respectfully, and lovingly. There’s no need to question it, as it is felt from miles away.
See also: 4 Ways To Successfully Overcome The Push-Pull Romantic Relationship Dynamic
12 Romantic Poems: What Is Love?
I have a personal favorite poem ‘what is love’ that always evokes that warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart. Check out these amazingly written poems and discover your own.
Forever And Always
By Mercedes
You are the sun that shines brightly throughout my day.
You are the gravity that holds me down in every way.
You are the moon that shimmers throughout my night.
You are stars that glimmer oh so bright.
You are the oxygen that keeps me alive.
You are my heart that beats inside.
You are the blood that flows through me.
You are the only guy I can see.
You have the voice of when a mockingbird sings.
You are my everything.
You are my one and only.
You stop me from being so lonely.
We plan our future as if we have a clue.
I never want to lose you.
I want you to be my husband, and I want to be your wife.
I want to be with you for the rest of my life.
You, My Wife, My Treasure
by Danny Blackburn
I had walked through life with nothing until you; until you, I knew no pleasure.
And then one day, God sent you to me; you, my wife, my treasure.
A gift from God, a gift so fine that you can never be measured.
A love so fine, so sweet, so kind; it’s you, my love; you, my wife, my treasure.
I promise to hug and kiss and hold you each day.
I promise a love with a devotion that will never ever fade away.
I promise and swear to God above
To show you nothing but my pure love.
I will admire the blessing of your boundless love,
Because I know that you are a true gift from heaven above.
I will not hurt you with my frustrations.
I will hold you close and kiss you with loving admiration.
I will always appreciate your commitment to me.
Give me a chance, for can’t you see?
This is not a game of chance that we play.
It is true love that I swear is committed to staying.
You say that at times you are afraid.
This one I can find no rhyme, so let me be clear:
I will…
Love you endlessly
Devote my life to making you happy
Admire you each day for the person you are
Take interest in the things that you like to do
Admire your beauty daily in awe and reflect it back to you
Be attentive to you and your needs
Be forgiving
Listen to you with never a harsh word in return (I swear it and pray for it in God’s name)
Show you by my actions that I love you
Be more open and fun to you, your family, and friends
Never go to bed without you
Rub you, kiss you, bathe you, lift you up, or whatever it takes when you are feeling down.
I will kiss you and love you all that I possibly can,
And don’t be embarrassed to be seen holding my hand.
I will treasure each day as if it were our last,
And at the end of your life, you won’t regret me being your past.
You are the sunshine in my morning, and like a bird, I will sing you a song.
I know that in this life, when I am troubled, through God it’s you who keeps me strong.
You are the mother of my children and the air that gives me life,
My truest friend of all, my heart, my soul, my wife.
I love you very much; you are all that is good in this world.
What I Love About You
by Nidhi Kaul
The sparkle in your eye,
The warmth of your skin,
Your breath on my neck
That shakes me within.
The touch of your hand,
The smell of your hair,
The naughtiness in your smile,
That strength in your stare.
Your kiss on my lips,
Your body near mine,
The stroke of your touch,
Makes everything feel fine.
The compassion in your touch,
The power in your face,
The beating of your heart,
That we may never end our embrace.
The beauty of your kiss,
And that magic in your touch.
It is for all these reasons and more
Why I love you so much…
From My Heart
By Mrs. Creeves
A million stars up in the sky.
One shines brighter – I can’t deny.
A love so precious, a love so true,
a love that comes from me to you.
The angels sing when you are near.
Within your arms, I have nothing to fear.
You always know just what to say.
Just talking to you makes my day.
I love you, honey, with all of my heart.
Together forever and never to part.
My Melody
By Eric Pribyl
Amazing and beautiful,
not a flower or a tree.
Much prettier than that,
and only I can see.
Loving and caring
right down to the core.
Filling me with happiness
and so much more.
Eyes are so stunning,
cannot look away.
Gorgeous and shining
all throughout the day.
Here in your arms
is where I belong.
The beating of your heart
is like a beautiful song.
Baby When You Hold Me
By Shelagh Bullman
Baby, when you hold me, my emotions make it clear
Just how much you mean to me while we are laying here.
I listen to your heartbeat in rhythm with my own,
With every pound, that warming sound keeps me safe with love you’ve shown.
Baby, when you touch me with hands so soft but strong,
You wrap me in your warm embrace, just where I belong.
You hold me close and comfort me all throughout the night
Until you open up your eyes to the first signs of daylight.
Baby, when you kiss me before you start your day,
The happiness you bring my heart, no words can ever say.
You make my life so beautiful, wonderful, and new.
You’re my hopes and dreams. You’re my everything; I’m so in love with you.
Love So Amazing
By Elaine Chetty
My love for you is like the raging sea,
So powerful and deep it will forever be.
Through the storm, wind, and heavy rain,
It will withstand every pain.
Our hearts are so pure and love so sweet.
I love you more with every heartbeat!
See also: 7 Different Types Of Love (Based On The Ancient Greeks)
If You Forget Me
By Pablo Neruda
I want you to know
one thing.
You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.
Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.
If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.
If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.
But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me, all that fire is repeated,
in me, nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine.
When Do I Think Of You?
By Sherry Hilderbrand
I think of you in the morning
before the sun rises,
when in the still of the darkness
my heart feels your presence.
Your love, your tenderness,
your slow rhythmic breathing as you sleep,
and I am at peace.
I think of you when the first rays of sunlight
spill like a waterfall between the blinds
and settle in my eyes.
I reach my hand, my foot, any body part will do,
to touch you and breathe you in.
It feeds my heart, my soul, my spirit,
and I am at peace.
I think of you at noon when the sun is at its highest
when the heat warms my skin
and causes my eyes to close with sheer pleasure.
Thoughts of you surround me, envelop me, overpower me.
Images of you swirl around like a funnel cloud,
sucking into its grasp all that it touches,
and I am at peace.
I think of you when the sun is setting
and its final rays of light begin to fade.
I can hear your voice, deep, soft, and slow in my head–
words of beauty, joy, friendship, and everlasting love.
My heart begins to sing a love song so sweet and so gentle.
I cannot wait to share my day with you and yours with me.
And I am at peace.
I think of you when the sun has set and the stillness of the moon
is displaying one of its many wondrous phases.
Thoughts of your smile, your laugh, and your eyes
create a feeling that is impossible to express with just words.
The need to touch you, to feel you, to drink you in
is almost too much to hold inside.
The anticipation of you is the greatest gift.
I am at peace.
I Love You
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
I love your lips when they’re wet with wine
And red with a wild desire;
I love your eyes when the lovelight lies
Lit with a passionate fire.
I love your arms when the warm white flesh
Touches mine in a fond embrace;
I love your hair when the strands enmesh
Your kisses against my face.
Not for me the cold, calm kiss
Of a virgin’s bloodless love;
Not for me the saint’s white bliss,
Nor the heart of a spotless dove.
But give me the love that so freely gives
And laughs at the whole world’s blame,
With your body so young and warm in my arms,
It sets my poor heart aflame.
So kiss me sweet with your warm wet mouth,
Still fragrant with ruby wine,
And say with a fervor born of the South
That your body and soul are mine.
Clasp me close in your warm young arms,
While the pale stars shine above,
And we’ll live our whole young lives away
In the joys of living love.
How Do I Love Thee?
By Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
The quietest need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,
I shall love thee better after death.
My One, My Only, My Everything
By D. Lancaster
For so long, I wished for the day.
The day that our love would find its way.
From my heart and into your soul,
The feeling was so strong, I had no control.
When that day came, when I found you again,
I vowed never to make the same mistake.
I knew I would never let you go,
For my life is now complete in a way I cannot show.
For eternity I will spend making you believe,
You are the sole reason that I breathe.
My life is yours, my hopes and desires too.
Until my dying day, my heart is reserved just for you.
You are everything I could ever need and more,
More than I deserve or would dare wish for.
You are my baby, my angel, my dream girl.
I’m thankful every day that you are my whole world.
For the time I spend with you, my heart truly sings.
My one, my only, my EVERYTHING.
See also: I Just Want To Be Loved: 11 Surprising Reasons You Crave Love
15 Inspiring Quotes On What Is Love
These what is love quotes perfectly explain the definition of love and all the different ways in which human beings experience love.
1. “You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”―Dr. Seuss
2. “Love, real love, the kind that you fall in, isn’t like Corinthians. The ‘suffereth long’ and ‘is kind’ nonsense. It’s like the Song of Solomon. It’s jealousy and fire and floods. It’s everything that consumes.”―Julie Anne Long
3. “I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you.”―Cassandra Clare
4. “Love is a more powerful force than magic. You can trick the mind and even the heart, but never the soul. When a person is not free to love with their soul, that isn’t loving, and that is why a love spell can never truly work.”―Nikki Jefford
5. “They say a good love is one that sits you down, gives you a drink of water, and pats you on top of the head. But I say a good love is one that casts you into the wind, sets you ablaze, makes you burn through the skies and ignite the night like a phoenix; the kind that cuts you loose like a wildfire and you can’t stop running simply because you keep on burning everything that you touch! I say that’s a good love; one that burns and flies, and you run with it!”―C. JoyBell C.
6. “Love? Love is when you are ready to do every possible and positive thing for someone.”―SiD
7. “Love is not an equation, it is not a contract, and it is not a happy ending. Love is the slate under the chalk, the ground that buildings rise, and the oxygen in the air. It is the place you come back to, no matter where you’re headed”―Jodi Picoult
8. “Love is the power of a wise man. It is a net for a lover. It is a tool for a clever man. Love is a song for a singer.”―Debasish Mridha
9. “Only the love of a good woman will make a man question every choice, every action. Only love makes a warrior hesitate for fear that his lady will find him cruel. Only love makes a man both the best he will ever be and the weakest. Sometimes all in the same moment. ”―Laurell K. Hamilton
10. “Love. What is it truly? Love is a spiritual state, an intangible, often insatiable need to put one’s needs above your own. To provide peace, stability and smiles to those who have made the long transition from your mind to your heart.”―Bella Vespira
11. “Falling in love is very real, but I used to shake my head when people talked about soul mates, poor deluded individuals grasping at some supernatural ideal not intended for mortals but sounded pretty in a poetry book. Then, we met, and everything changed, the cynic has become the converted, the skeptic, an ardent zealot.”―E.A. Bucchianeri
12. “Love is inconvenient. Love is untidy. Love is relentless, ruthless, and rapacious. Done well, it’s hilarious, playful and redemptive.”―Regina Barreca
13. “Love, like everything else in life, should be a discovery, an adventure, and like most adventures, you don’t know you’re having one until you’re right in the middle of it.”―E.A. Bucchianeri
14. “I believe in the immeasurable power of love; that true love can endure any circumstance and reach across any distance.”―Steve Maraboli
15. “When forever becomes a place… when forever ceases to be just a word… when it ceases to be just a measurement of time…but instead becomes a place where soul mates can dance to the song in their hearts… that is a reflection of true love.”―Steve Maraboli
See also: A List Of 100 Revealing Love Questions To Ask Your Partner
Beautiful What Is Love Bible Verses
What is love in the Bible? Let’s uncover it together with these inspiring what is love Bible verses.
1. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.―1 Corinthians 13:4-5
2. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.―Proverbs 3:3-4
3. Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.―Romans 13:10
4. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love.―Ephesians 3:16-17
5. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.―Ephesians 5:25-26
6. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.―1 John 4:7
7. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.―1 John 3:16-18
8. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.―Romans 13:8
9. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.―1 Peter 4:8
10. Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.―Song of Songs 8:6
11. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.―1 John 4:10
12. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.―John 13:34-35
13. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.―Galatians 5:22-23
14. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name, I will lift my hands.―Psalm 63:3-4
15. Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.―Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
See also: Love status: Top 135 Social Media Captions For People In Love
Final Thoughts
So, what is love? Hopefully, through my vast definitions, the beautiful romantic poems, inspirational quotes, and meaningful Bible verses, you’ve been able to understand it on a more profound level.
Everyone has their own definition of love. At the end of the day, it’s not quantum physics. It’s either there, or it isn’t.
If you’re one of the lucky ones who, while reading this, gleefully nodded along and smiled their way through it, congrats! It seems like you’ve got the real deal.
All of you who still haven’t had the privilege of experiencing a love of this magnitude, worry not. Now, at least you know never to settle for anything less than this.
See also: 10 Crucial Differences Between Love And Infatuation