"Love doesn't make the world go round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
                                                                                                  ~Elizabeth Browning

Everyone today seems to be going in circles to find an answer to the question - What is, in fact, this thing called ‘love'?

One can undoubtedly say that ‘Love' is one of the most studied, sung and written about topics, in existence. From well-known poets to psychologists, saints to teenagers, everybody is trying to define the true meaning of this one syllable word that has for ages, captivated brilliant minds, overthrown kings and redeemed lost souls.

What is Love?
The dictionary states that- ‘to love' is to have a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward something (living, non-living or an abstract thing).

Christy, a six-year-old believes, "Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."

Types of Love:

The challenge in defining love is mainly due to the subjective experience of the emotion, that varies from person to person. You can love someone as a friend, cousin, parent, spouse, role model or even an adorable pet.

We could broadly classify love into four types: Agape (Spiritual and Sacrificial love), Phileo (Friendship and Kindness Love), Eros (Romantic and Sexual Love) and Storge (Kinship and Familial Love).

And, the most confusing and challenging kind of love to define is the one experienced in romantic relationships. Considering that the decision to spend one's life with another person could be largely influenced by our feelings of love, perhaps it would be useful to distinguish love from other similar emotions.

What Love is Not...
For many first timers, it becomes difficult to distinguish love from care, crush, infatuation and even friendship. The unfamiliar feelings of attraction worry and closeness can be quite confusing and misleading sometimes.

Love is different from:

Crush: There is no such thing as "love at first sight". Rush of feelings of attraction one experiences when they meet someone new - be it attraction towards a physical or character trait, is called a Crush. One cannot fall in love with someone they do not know. It is possible to have crushes even when one is already in love with someone else. It is a natural physical reaction.

Lust: Lust is an intense desire or longing to be with another person, primarily for physical satisfaction. People are consumed by their own personal desires, obsessions and selfishness resulting in a tumultuous and short-lived relationship. There is often no desire or need to get to know the person personally in terms of compatibility, or to selflessly give for their happiness.

Like: Love will make you spend your entire month's salary to travel the seven seas to be with the other person; ‘like' will make you think twice to do the same. The imperfections in the other person will be easily annoying making you want to take a step back.

Friendship: Closeness without physical attraction is the kind of love felt for friends, which is devoid of any romantic feelings. There is freedom to share secrets, frustrations, silly things, etc. The heartbeats do not increase and the night does not seem too long, in anticipation of meeting a friend.

Infatuation: The intense range of feelings and physical reactions devoid of understanding or closeness with the other person is called infatuation. It is a static process characterized by an unrealistic expectation of blissful passion without positive growth and development. The longing to be with the other, fades with more of recognition and familiarity, especially when expectations are not met. Physical appearance plays a huge role and there will be doubts about commitment and marriage. Infatuation is momentary and looks at instant gratification of personal needs. There is a constant obsessive need to keep in touch and know about the person's doings. Characterized by a lack of trust, lack of loyalty, lack of commitment, lack of reciprocity, an infatuation is not necessarily foreplay for a love scenario. Love makes you feel more secure and patient. Love is a more mature, stable and a slow process.

Love is one of the most wonderful things to look forward to with hope and perseverance. If you haven't found love yet, do not worry - the right person is always worth the wait. Until then, foster the other loving relationships you are a part of, because you are already contributing much more than you know.