Learning the Different Types of Love

What comes to your mind when you hear the word "Love"? I believe the first thing that comes to your mind is a romantic relationship . That's understandable but you need to know that love is not all about romance. There's more to love than physical affection or lust towards someone.

Why Learning the Different Types of Love ?

As much as love can make the world go round, it can also cause issues in certain relationships if it's not properly displayed. There are several types of relationship ranging from relationships between friends to family members and even lovers.

Understanding the different types of love can make you understand your partner better and even build a lasting relationship. Therefore, in this guide we will take a closer look at the eight types of love and how they can be expressed.

Different people express and receive love in different ways and if you don't accept these fact, you might find yourself in a complicated relationship and keep wondering why things aren't working out. Make good use of this guide to fix that.

Love can be addictive and these makes humans to keep demanding for more. However, no one wants to keep expressing and showing love towards someone without getting it back in return. Human beings experience several types of love and each of them are ignited by a catalyst. An agent that enhances or provokes the feeling of a certain type of love. Every type of love has its own catalyst.

Different Types of Love

There are 8 types of love according to the Ancient Greeks. A lot of study and research was done before making this conclusion and while there are several things to research about, the Ancient Greeks conducted this study because they found love quite fascinating.

Without further ado - here are the eight different types of love;

Agape Love { Unconditional Love } - Guide Link

Agape love is a selfless and unconditional type of love. This means having an empathic attitude of love towards anyone and everyone. It might sound a bit radical because it's a feeling that few people can hold over a long period of time.

It is often practiced by religious people such as Christians and that can be seen from their act of kindness towards their brethren. This type of love is given out without expecting anything in return. This altruistic feeling of love is also shown in relationships between family members and romantic partners.

Traits of Agape Love :

• Dedicating ones time and life to helping other people.
• Staying conscious of ones actions for the good of humanity.
• Offering ones resources as a form of charity to people in need.
• Expressing unconditional love in all situation and any circumstance.

The love catalyst of Agape is SPIRIT.

Philia Love { Affectionate Love } - Guide Link

This is a friendship kind of love. A feeling of affection towards someone without romantic attachment. This type of love occurs between friends and family members and it is otherwise known as brotherly love.

This love runs deep in true friendship and a good way to show it is by exchanging your ideas, beliefs and imperfection with family members or close friends. However, they must also share theirs with you and also respect one another.

Traits of Philia Love :

• Being open minded and trustworthy.
• Being supportive of someone in hard times.
• Engaging in extensive conversation with the other party.
• The platonic feeling of lover without sexual intentions.

The love catalyst of Philia is MIND.

Eros Love { Romantic Love } - Guide Link

The word "Eros" is named after the Greek god of love and fertility. This is a love you feel naturally towards people based on your instinct. This type of love is displayed passionately through physical affection for another person's body.

This love is triggered by your hormones in such a way that you desire romantic actions from someone you admire. Eros is characterized by intimacy, attraction, physical pleasure and personal infatuation.

It is also known as Erotic Love which means the desire for sexual passion.

Traits of Eros Love :

• Admiring a person's physical body.
• Showing romantic affection towards someone.
• Exhibiting physical touch such as hugging and kissing.
• Staying committed to build a long term romantic relationship.

The love catalyst of Eros is HORMONES.

Storge Love { Familiar Love } - Guide Link

This love exist between children and parents as well as intimate friends. A feeling of affection towards your loved ones. It is quite similar to Philia because there's no feeling of sexual attraction towards each other. What exists is a strong bond.

It is also known as familiar love due to a deep familiarity and friendship developed over a long period of time. This bond is a result of memories shared between two people which then leads to an emotional connection between them.

Traits of Storge Love :

• Showing gratitude towards people close to you.
• Sacrificing your time and personal pleasures.
• Forgiving wrong deeds without holding grudges.
• Sharing memorable moments together.

The love catalyst of Storge is MEMORIES.

Ludus Love { Playful Love } - Guide Link

This type of love is found at the beginning stages of an intimate relationship which is characterized by teasing or flirting. This love is shown with playful motives between two people and it is common with young couples.

Your emotion makes you very excited about the next person and this pushes you to want to get involved with them more. The level of flirtatious attraction towards someone you admire is very high. It is also known as infatuated love. A giddiness feeling about a lover and never wanting to be without them is evident in this kind of love. This love makes one active and very excited about life.

Traits of Ludus Love :

• Feelings of euphoria and infatuation towards someone.
• Flirting and engaging in playful conversation with a lover.
• Passion and desire for someone without any commitment.
• Showcasing child-like attributes when having fun with someone.

The love catalyst of Ludus is EMOTION.

Philautia Love { Self Love } - Guide Link

This love is quite different from other types of love. While most other types of love are shown towards another person, Philautia shows a feeling of love and compassion towards one's self. It is a healthy way of appreciating yourself.

This form of love makes you prioritize your personal needs and also recognize your own self-worth. The feeling of showing love and affection to yourself is known as self-compassion and that is the main trait of Self Love.

Traits of Philautia Love :

• Loving yourself and feeling comfortable in your own skin.
• Creating an environment that benefits your well-being.
• Spending time around people who appreciate and support you.

The love catalyst of Philautia is SOUL.

Pragma Love { Enduring Love } - Guide Link

Enduring love as expressed by the Ancient Greeks is a type of mature love that is developed after a long period of time. This love involves two people making relationship commitments without intimacy or emotional feelings.

Pragma love can be seen in arranged marriages between friends or partners that have no romantic affection for each other. However, some romantic relationships do degenerate to this kind of love after certain situations and all that keeps them together will be basic commitments and responsibilities.

Traits of Pragma Love :

• Putting effort and commitment into reciprocate relationships.
• Standing in love with a lot of dedication towards a partner.
• Choosing to put in effort to make a relationship last forever.
• Act of strengthen a long term relationships.

The love catalyst of Pragma is SUBCONCIOUS.

Mania Love { Obsessive Love } - Guide Link

The final type of Love is Mania. This is a feeling of obsession over a partner or lover. When two people in love don't share equal affection, it leads to certain level of jealousy or possessiveness. Mania love is caused by an imbalance of Ludus and Eros Love. This kind of love can cause some level of unwanted harm.

Obsessive love is not a nice type of love because it has a tendency to lead one to unnecessary anger, madness and even depression. Ensure you avoid it.

Traits of Mania Love :

• Showing low self-esteem in a relationship.
• Exhibiting the characteristics of codependency.
• Doing crazy things just to sustain your love for a partner.
• Feeling highly desperate to gain self-value in a relationship.

The love catalyst of Mania is SURVIVAL INSTINCT.

Conclusion

A better understanding of the different types of love and how to show or avoid them can help you build a better relationship with your loved ones in life.

You can create an amazing love relationship for yourself if you know how to combine several types of love. This also helps you to respect and appreciate your friends and family members more. In your free time, you can research on how to combine different types of love so as to improve your relationship with people.

Learning how to express love in a relationship is not negotiable. It is the cord the bonds the relationship. Ensure you give it your best shot.

Kindly share your experience with these different types of love in the comment section. Let us know which one is your favorite too. Thank you!