Love...What is it?

[bigglesworth]

There has been a lot of discussion about love. Some say they can love a person they have only chatted with and never met, others say that is just not so.........

My mother used to tell me it was a tickling sensation around your heart that you could not scratch. Made sense to me.

What defines love for you?

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers here.

[redfyre]

When we interact with other people, we perceive them with our senses; sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch. The information we get from that interaction is sent to our brain, and, since we are socialised animals, our brain goes through a mental scorecard, ticking off what we, as individuals, consider to be good qualities. If enough of the right boxes are ticked, our brain says "Bingo - potential mate". This might of course take time, and more data being sent to the brain, before we reach the point when chemicals (i.e. hormones) start getting pushed through our system.

I'm not trying to burst anyone's bubble here, and it is undeniable that feelings exist. But they are driven through chemical and electrical reactions in the body, and it doesn't hurt to understand that.

So....given that understanding, then theoretically, someone could fall in love with another person, without physical interaction, providing enough of the right signals are getting through to the brain. Touch, smell and taste are out of the equation, but in theory, if there are enough boxes being ticked for the visual and hearing side of things, then the "falling in love" hormones can still be triggered. And every single human being has different pathways set up in their brain, based on their own personal experiences in life, so, what works as a stimulus for one, is not necessarily a stimulus for another, and vice-versa.

[sexy_pleasure]

Originally Posted by bigglesworth

There has been a lot of discussion about love. Some say they can love a person they have only chatted with and never met, others say that is just not so.........

My mother used to tell me it was a tickling sensation around your heart that you could not scratch. Made sense to me.

What defines love for you?

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers here.

Dear Biggles,
Sorry to disapoint you, but I do not agree with you!
I got all the right answers and every body else is wrong!!!
Me, Me, Me and only Meeeeeeee!!! AAAAHHHHHHH
Just kidding, of course .

[i_sing_4u]

Originally Posted by redfyre

When we interact with other people, we perceive them with our senses; sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch. The information we get from that interaction is sent to our brain, and, since we are socialised animals, our brain goes through a mental scorecard, ticking off what we, as individuals, consider to be good qualities. If enough of the right boxes are ticked, our brain says "Bingo - potential mate". This might of course take time, and more data being sent to the brain, before we reach the point when chemicals (i.e. hormones) start getting pushed through our system.

I'm not trying to burst anyone's bubble here, and it is undeniable that feelings exist. But they are driven through chemical and electrical reactions in the body, and it doesn't hurt to understand that.

So....given that understanding, then theoretically, someone could fall in love with another person, without physical interaction, providing enough of the right signals are getting through to the brain. Touch, smell and taste are out of the equation, but in theory, if there are enough boxes being ticked for the visual and hearing side of things, then the "falling in love" hormones can still be triggered. And every single human being has different pathways set up in their brain, based on their own personal experiences in life, so, what works as a stimulus for one, is not necessarily a stimulus for another, and vice-versa.

BINGO! This is what I was trying to say in regards to my Welshman. When you have 2 people who are not only sensual, but very cerebral...possibly psychic (I'm probably gonna be sorry I went there, and now everyone not only thinks I'm a hostile influence, but now I'm just crazy! LOL)...we can already smell each other. We just KNOW. The reason for this is that....take ME for example. NO man can get to me without getting to my brain first...that is the first entry! Once the brain is satisfied, the rest is EASY. But that's just me.

[wetnwild]

I fell in love with someone last year that I met online. It was 2 1/2 months before we actually met in person, but I knew before we met in person that I was already in love with him. We talked on the phone every single day and texted and emailed occassionally. I was going through a LOT of stuff in my life at the time and he was also going through major life changes, having just joined the military. We really bonded through all of the talking that we did, and since we had never had sex up to that point, it certainly wasn't tainted by any sexual relations. So to answer your question Biggles, I think that emotional "bonding" is what makes me fall in love with someone. Some may argue that until you actually spend time with a person in real life, you can't actually completely know them. I did find out a lot more about him, after spending time together in person, but I still believe that I really was in love with him even before the first meeting.

[red_star1979]

"Love is a banality."
-Maximilien Robespierre

Emotion is powerful, but it is an opiate that clouds our judgement.

Enlightenment and reason ought to drive our relationships and society at large.

[wetnwild]

"Love is a Battlefield"
- Pat Benatar

[red_star1979]

I'd like to clarify my message. I meant love of the romantic variety. One may truly live a life of love for learning and society.

This is the dichotomy of my existence. I am torn between the rationalist and the romatic within me.

"At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality."

-Che Guevara

[red_star1979]

Originally Posted by wetnwild

"Love is a Battlefield"
- Pat Benatar

hahahahaha

[vic853]

I think love and "i love you" is used very frivolously especially when sex or love making is involved you can share a strong connection with someone and have passionate sex with them and it be misinterpreted for love or being "in love" in the case with 'wet n wild' going through a similar issue with someone at the same time may cause you to have a connection with someone because of the common bond.... but when do we officially know its love? I Guess I'm trying to answer and still ask all at the same time being that I'm a 25 year old man that has gone through a lot but is still learning, above all else I've learned that women want to be loved,appreciated and cared for especially older woman that have been there done that. I love older woman because i can connect with them on a totally different level than that of a younger one and they seem to appreciate the little things more. OK back to the question i think people need to understand what they want from love and what it means to them i guess everybody's "love" is different. What brings it on? great conversation? Thinking of them day in and day out? A culmination of all? When do we differentiate it from a strong connection or is love the ultimate connection? Being that I'm asking myself the EXACT same question i find it very difficult to answer and in turn I'm asking the same question all over again. Hopefully i get to engage in some more interesting threads and have better insight. I don't think i did too bad for an intro post though lol.