It is not possible to run any relationship without love. To keep you connected with any person for a long period of time, no doubt, love plays a vital role. Even we can say that less love you have in your life, then there are more chances that you will experience depression. There are too many types of love described by different religions, Philosophers, Scientists, and Psychologists. But here we’ll talk about the 7 types of love according to Psychology. And if you want to read more about what love actually is according to science and different religions, you can read this.
How Do We Fall in Love
According to some researches, that those who are in love with each other and in a romantic relationship, synchronize their heartbeats after looking into each other’s eyes for three minutes.
According to science Love is just a chemical reaction. It happens when a chemical called oxytocin is released in our brain. Dopamine and Norepinephrine are the neurotransmitters that build focus on the specific person and make them the center of your life.
We spend our lives recognizing true love. And sometimes we get so confused that we can’t even decide whether we are in love or not.
What is Love According to Psychology
Robert Sternberg (Psychologist), who developed the Triangular Theory of Love, said, there are three components of love.
- Intimacy (feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness in loving relationships)
- Passion (the drives that lead to romance and physical attraction)
- Commitment ( in the short-term, the decision that one loves a certain other. In the Long-term, one’s commitment to maintaining that love
However, almost all psychologists believe that there 7 types of love and it is important that every individual who is in love should recognize it.
Related Read: 9 Ways To Show Love without Saying a word
Seven Types of Love According to Psychology
1- Liking
In this relationship, people are usually connected with each other on the basis of similar interests. There is a prominent existence of intimacy or knowledge of others and a sense of closeness is present. The relationship is free of Passion and commitment. Partners feel more confident to share personal information with each other. They feel that the other person knows them well, makes you more comfortable. Both partners are so honest with each other. They can communicate it without any hesitation in case they think the other person is wrong.
In this type of love, partners are more like friends. Both partners are generally connected on the basis of understanding and they feel more close to each other.
2- Infatuation
In the types of love, the infatuation is probably the psychologist’s way of defining the “love at first sight”. This kind of love is consists of an immediate, intense physical attraction to someone. The person, who is in this kind of love, is unable to think about anything or anyone else except that specific person.
Their minds are filled with the thoughts of the other person and the meetings they held together. There is a possibility that he/she may find it difficult to eat and work properly. Furthermore, there may also be a rather constant state of arousal. Usually, this kind of love is not long-lasting as it is based on chemical attraction, it’s short-lived and may last for about a few months or a year.
Related Read: 6 Signs Someone is Attracted to You
3- Fatuous Love
There are so many people around us who have experienced this type of love as it is based on passion and commitment. In fatuous love, Passion and commitment are the most important aspects. We can say that this type is almost free of intimacy and the commitment is premature.
Partners in fatuous love rarely talk seriously or share their ideas with each other. Their focus is on their intense physical attraction. Couples feel more attracted to each other and don’t hesitate in sharing household chores. In the opinion of psychologists, the couples in this type of relationship have the ability to stay together for long; if the sense of friendship exists in their relationship.
4- Empty Love
The type of love is called empty love because the couple meets with each other just to meet their needs. The empty love may be found later in a relationship or in a relationship that was formed by couples to fulfill their needs without any intimacy or passion. The partners in this relationship don’t share ideas or feelings without each other.
Here the partners stay with each other just for the sake of children, a religious conviction, or because there are no alternatives. This type of love can also be the result of a strong relationship that deteriorates due to some reasons and it turns in to empty love.
Related Read: 5 Signs Someone Loves You more than you think
5- Romantic Love:
In romantic love, couples are experiencing Intimacy and passion, as they are major components in this type of relationship. But there is no commitment. The partners are enjoying to spend much time with each other and love to get close to one another but are not ready to make serious commitments as they have no plans to keep the relationship for a long period of time.
Couples are reluctant to tie a knot in this kind of relationship just because they are not in a position to make such commitments.
6- Companionate Love
In companionate love, the couple experience true attachment. Intimacy and commitment are the major components of this category. Partners are committed to staying together. They love and respect one another but their physical attraction is considerably weaker or may have just died out. This type of relationship is stronger than friendship but with minimal sexual desire. This kind of love is usually found in marriages where a couple continuous to have affection for each other but with less sexual desires.
Related Read: How to get your crush to like you back
7- Consummate Love
Consummate love is usually considered to be the ideal one in types of love. Intimacy, passion, and commitment are present in it. The couples who are experiencing this kind of love, share a passion and have great sex several years into their relationship. They are so close to each other and can’t imagine themselves without their partner. They are committed to staying together, as are like best friends as well as lovers.
7 Types of Love According To Psychologists
- Liking
- Infatuation
- Fatuous Love
- Empty Love
- Romantic Love
- Companionate Love
- Consummate Love
