Psychology’s opinion on love

February is arguably the month that gives people the “love feels” but what role does psychology play in this?

To know this, one must know what the meaning of love is. Love is very complex but is defined on merriam-webster.com as “a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person.” When someone gets this feeling, their body releases oxytocin, phenethylamine, and dopamine that makes them feel feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. But if love is so complex, why not avoid it?

Love doesn’t just release these chemicals but also strong emotions toward the person. It also feels real and instinctive, with a lot of it associated with experiences. In fact, studies over the years have shown that romantic love is one of the most complicated emotions a human can experience and are capable of feeling. 

With this emotion being so complex, there are believed to be different components to it. According to psychologist Robert Sternberg, the three components of love are intimacy, passion, and commitment. Intimacy surrounds the topics of closeness and connectedness, something that one thinks about when thinking about love. Subjects like limerence (the strong desire for the exchange of obsessive feelings) fall under the passion category. Finally, commitment is the decision to remain with the latter and their shared achievements. 

However, love can also be harmful. Being in a toxic, unhealthy relationship takes a toll on mental and physical health. 

Nonetheless, love is an exceptionally intricate feeling that science and psychology don’t know too much about. Does this make it wrong to fall in love? Of course not, but knowing limits and boundaries can help the mental stability of one who is in love.