Popular expressions reflect how we think about love. 

Consider these two expressions: “She was starved for affection”; 

“He thrives on love.” They express the idea that love 

fills a need and that, like food, love is essential to one’s wellbeing. 

The expressions “She is his better half” and “We are 

one” suggest that love is the union of two incomplete beings 

into a more perfect whole. 

Like any emotion, love is complicated. It involves pleasant 

and unpleasant feelings, and sometimes painful ones. 

Besides the feelings, love is a set of attitudes, thoughts, and 

ideas. It leads to behaviors that can become silly, self-defeating, 

and embarrassing. Think of all the ways the word 

used in everyday conversation: 

“I think I am in love.” 

“I love to watch football.” 

“She was his first love.” 

“God is love.” 

“He is lovesick.” 

“I would love to go.” 

The word has so many uses that it is difficult to find a 

general definition. Despite the complexity of the topic, it is 

essential to arrive at a reasonable definition. To do so, we 

might explore the abundance of written material is about 

love. We can read the love poems of Shakespeare, Shelley, 

Lord Byron, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 

Too outdated? All right: We have popular song lyrics, novels, 

sitcoms, and numerous popular advice columns such as 

“Dear Abby” or the “Ask Jen” column in 

We could also interview and observe people who say 

they are in love. 

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