What is love?

Chapter six is an interesting read as it addresses the topic of love. Many of us are still looking for love at this stage in our lives, however there are some who think they have love figured out. Love is extremely hard to define as it "defies a single definition because it varies in degree and intensity and in different social contexts" as the book states. This chapter goes over the differences between lust, love, friendship, intimacy, commitment, what attracts people to each other, what the functions of love are, and in the various ways in which we experience love (whether they are constructive or destructive to our well-being).

What I learned most from this chapter is that there are many different ways in which the concept of love can be interpreted, good or bad. Love is different for those who are in their teens and 20s than for those who have been committed to their partner for years and years. I found it almost disturbing how much Romantic love doesn't exist as you age since we base so much on the "spark" between two people who are married or in love. It is this concept of romantic love and the "sparked" feeling that comes along with it that is actually somewhat destructive because of our expectations of this said "spark" that supposedly is supposed to flourish eventually dies out and once it does, the two significant others often divorce or part ways because of it when in fact their love has just become based on other aspects aside from this "spark" concept.

I also found it interesting how much our health actually depends on if we experience love in our lives or not. I am aware that if you don't have the feeling of being loved by at least your family and friends (as opposed to finding a significant other to love), it can open up for some serious degenerative behavior as an excerpt states: "love and intimacy are at the root of what makes us sick and what makes us well...in part, this is because people who are lonely are more likely to engage in self-destructive behavior." What an interesting concept to explore....

My question for you all is kind of cliche: Is love a drug?? According to the biochemistry of love, the feelings we experience when we are in love are comparable to those feelings of drug users of speed. It's a natural high that we experience when we find love; "endorphins which are chemically similar to morphine and reside in the brain takes over," and also, "chemicals such as dopamine that apparently trigger intense romantic love are also found in...cocaine users." So what do you all think? Is the human race addicted to love?