What is the significance of the study about love?

Answer 1

It was many hundred of years ago, in the Middle Ages, starting around the 12th century that minstrels and troubadours first crooned about "true love." Certainly we must be aware that this notion of "true love" is being propagated by Hollywood and the media. "To find love across a (crowded) room (see first response) and meet the eyes of her or him", is but a fairy tale out of Richard Rodger's "South Pacific."

Let me assure you that there is no such thing as "true love." When we are intimate with another human being, whether we or they like it or not, we set conditions. Having been a marriage counselor for the last forty years, I find the notion of "true love" totally false but also, by those who believe in it, a detriment to any successful relationship. For reality is much more obstinate and trying. It does not allow a couple to luxuriate in the dreamworld of "true love."

Yes, "caring for each other", enjoying the mutuality of a healthy relationship, that will create familiarity and affinity, that will meld two lives together, should create the primary bond . Intimacy, the sharing of something of a private nature with another human being, that gives us a sense of belonging, will make us feel more secure with another human being. We must also develop a congruence of perception, of lifestyles, that allows us to see the world with similar eyes. But more than anything, our willingness to compromise, to make adjustment to conflicting interests and needs, is a "must quality" that all of us need to succeed in a relationship.

These are the qualities that matter. "Love is a many-splendored thing" is no more than a many-splendored illusion.

Answer

Actually there have been studies regarding the subject of love, one of them done by a group of neuroscientists, anthropologist and social psychologists, and the results were published in the July 2005 issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology. An anthropologist from Rutgers University who was involved in the study said that "romantic love is one of the most powerful of all human experiences." fMRIs (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) studies were done on individuls who had recently fallen in love. The results demonstrated "several brain areas where the strength of neural activity changed with the length of the romance". The study revealed that "the processing of romantic feelings involves a 'constellation of neural systems' and the activity occurs mostly on the right side of the brain.

I personally cannot imagine sharing my life, including intimacy, with someone where no love is present. I have been in relationships in my life where love was present on some level at least. I've been around long enough to know myself well and understand my feelings towards things, people, events, etc. Lets just say I am not a confused person. I was a nurse for many years and I have taken several psychology courses including one in the area of Emotional Intelligence. About three or so years ago, I met someone that changed me forever. I had never felt that kind of love for someone before. That love has not wavered to this day. It is my opinion that a relationship has a much better chance of survival when a deep love is present because a person will have more respect for the other person and will work harder to keep the relationship together because of that love and the fear of possibly losing that person.

One of my favorite areas to work in as a nurse was with the elderly because they love to tell stories about their lives. There is much to learn from listening to stories told by our elders. One of the stories I heard was told by a retired military man who spoke of his marriage and the day he met his wife. He had lost her to cancer a year or so prior to our conversation. He told me that he was on "leave" in the early part of his military service and he and several of the guys went to a big dance in the area to blow off some steam and have a good time. He said about an hour after he arrived at the dance, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen walked into the room. He said he knew she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He said to his friends, "look at her and how beautiful she is - that is my future wife." They all laughed at him and made jokes about it the rest of the night. He married that beautiful woman a year later. They were married for 55 years. He told me that he had lost his best friend in the world when she passed away. He felt lost.

I realize that this kind of thing does not happen all of the time and is most probably very rare. I also realize that it is the sharing of life together that makes the bond stronger. But I do believe that love has to be present in the beginning and that the two people build on that love and build a life together. To me, the thought of spending my life with someone based on anything other than love is depressing. Love and romance are human nature. It's psysiological - brain activity. This is just my opinion so you can do your research. Just Google the words "the study of love" and you will find a lot of interesting information on the subject. After many years, I found true love and it changed my life for the better.

Answer 2

The study about love helps people understand how to relate with others. It helps distinguish between the sexes and how they view issues.