Love is a complex emotion that can have a variety of related but distinct meanings in different contexts. Here are some definitions and explanations of love:
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Strong affection: Love can refer to strong affection for another person, arising out of kinship or personal ties, such as maternal love for a child.
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Attraction: Love can also refer to attraction based on sexual desire, affection, and tenderness felt by lovers.
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Feeling: Abstractly discussed, love usually refers to a feeling one person experiences for another person. Love often involves caring for, or identifying with, a person or thing, including oneself.
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Enacted emotion: Love should be seen not as a feeling but as an enacted emotion. To love is to feel and act lovingly. Love is a set of emotions and behaviors characterized by intimacy, passion, and commitment. It involves care, closeness, protectiveness, and trust.
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Universal definition: Cultural differences in conceptualizing love make it difficult to establish a universal definition. However, in Christianity, the practical definition of love is summarized by Thomas Aquinas, who defined love as "to will the good of another," or to desire for another to succeed.
Overall, love is a complex emotion that can take many forms and meanings depending on the context and individual experiences.
