Love is one of the most misunderstood concepts in life. It’s easy to think that love means being loyal, caring, faithful, or sharing with someone. However, it can also mean being just another “type” of emotion. Love is actually a complex group of behaviors and emotions characterized by emotional intimacy, commitment, passion, and loyalty. It often involves trust, proximity, protection, intimacy, and desire.
One of the most common characteristics of love is that it is highly passionate. People are capable of being passionate about almost anything and the most difficult feelings to express in love are anger, jealousy, fear, uncertainty, sadness, and boredom. People often experience multiple negative emotions while being in love, but these negative emotions are less intense than those felt during sexual intimacy. This is likely why many people describe their love relationships as “intimate”.
Another common characteristic of passionate love is that people feel bound and dependent on another person. Intimacy, commitment, and other important positive emotions make romantic love a deeply rewarding experience for both people involved. As one goes deeper into the experience of romantic love, they become dependent on the other person and their partner. They may ask them to help them move, to take them to dinner, to drive, to run errands, or they may need them to do things for them.
There are different levels of intimacy that people experience in their relationships. In a very deep relationship where there is total and unconditional love and an ability to let loose and share intimate thoughts and emotions, the level of intimacy can be quite intense. At this point in a relationship, people may feel like nothing else matters and they will do almost anything for the other person. When this stage of passion ends, the relationship will likely stagnate.
People who have had a passionate love relationship and then entered into marriage or a life of responsibility may find that their intimacy has diminished over time and that they no longer feel the same way about their partner as before. Intimacy must not be a part of the marriage vows. When you are deeply in love, there can be an expectation that the relationship will be unbreakable and there should be nothing that will stand in the way of loving and sharing with your partner. As time goes by, however, the passionate feelings and attraction for each other fades and this lack of intimacy could become a problem.
The good news is that most relationships are built on deep feelings and intense intimacy – if it is not reciprocated in kind, there will be little joy and satisfaction with the relationship. If you are experiencing less love in your relationships, there may be a lack of intimacy within your relationship. Take some time and consider what you want from your love life and you may be able to rediscover the feelings of love and intimacy that once made you smile with joy.