23/12/2021
Facts About Love
The love knot is a unique Celtic love symbol.
When people fall in love, it's a truly wonderful thing. But I bet you didn't realize quite how complex it is! Discover everything you need to know about true love with these fun facts about love.
1. Ancient Greek philosophers claimed there are seven different types of love that people can experience. They are:
2. Eros: This love represents s*xual attraction and a lack of control. It is passionate and dissipates quickly, meaning that relationships that are built only on Eros love are short-lived.
3. Philia: This love represents affectionate love and is the type of love you feel for family and close friends. Tied to loyalty, companionship and trust, this kind of love is said to be shared between those who have similar values.
4. Storge: This represents the unconditional love parents have for their children, and it is said to help children to develop through the attachment, encouragement and security of their parents love.
5. Agape: This represents selfless love, or universal love, and is the type of overarching love you feel for other humans, for nature and for a higher power, if you are religious. This love is expressed through things like meditation, spirituality and being in nature.
6. Ludus: This represents playful love, and is the flirty, exciting and non-committal love found at the beginning of relationships.
7. Pragma: This represents long-lasting love, that continues to develop throughout the years, and is shown by couples who have been together for a long time. It shows synchronization and balance, but can only survive if it is nurtured.
8. Philautia: This represents love of the self, which is linked with confidence and self-esteem. This type of love can be unhealthy, and linked to narcissism and arrogance, or healthy and linked to self-care and self-worth.
9. Expressing gratitude to a loved one can instantly make you happier.
10. Monogamous relationships, meaning choosing one person to have a family and live your life with, exist in the animal kingdom as well with many different animals including swans, gibbons, albatrosses and even termites, choosing one mate for life.
11. It is estimated that romantic love, the falling in love stage which is linked with euphoria and butterflies in the stomach, only lasts about a year and is then replaced with the “committed love” stage.
12. 'The triangular theory of love' says that there is a formula for love; that there are two different pairs of components that are mixed and matched to create three kinds of love.
-Romantic love = passion and intimacy.
-Companionate love = intimacy and commitment.
-Fatuous love = passion and commitment.
13. But the best love of all is consummate love, or true love, which consists of passion, intimacy and commitment.
14. The word love is from the Sanskrit word lubhyati, meaning desire.
15. Research suggests that most people will fall in love around seven times before they get married.
Scientific Love Facts
Love is not just an emotion. It has a variety of different physical reactions on areas of the brain that can make you feel like you have butterflies in your tummy, make you feel excited, nervous or even sweaty! These physiological facts about love will explain more about exactly what happens to your body when you fall in love with someone.
16. Research has shown that if two people who are in love stare into each other's eyes for three minutes, their heart rates will synchronize.
17. Falling in love triggers the production of several euphoria-inducing chemicals in your brain that stimulate 12 areas of the brain at the same time.
18. Cuddling triggers the release of a chemical called Oxytocin, commonly called the love or cuddle hormone, which is a natural painkiller and has been known to cure things like headaches completely.
19. Research has shown that traumatizing events, like a break-up, can cause real physical pains in the heart and this condition is called Broken Heart Syndrome. Affecting more women than men, the distress triggers the release of certain chemicals that can weaken the heart, leading to chest pains and shortness of breath.
20. Research has shown that people at an early stage of love have lower levels of serotonin, which is linked with feelings of happiness and well-being, and higher levels of cortisol, which is linked with stress. This could explain why we often act differently, or out of character, when we fall in love.
21. Research around the 'construal level theory' found that reminders of love, like long-term relationships, commitment and intimacy, influence abstract and creative thinking.
22. Research has shown that couples in long term relationships with strong connections can soothe each other in stressful situations or relieve pain simply by holding hands.
23. The sensation of 'butterflies in your stomach' when you fall in love is real, and is caused by rushes of adrenaline.
24. English naturalist, geologist and biologist Charles Darwin proposed that pupils expand during heightened attention and focus and this is true when we have eye contact with someone we love.
25. Research has also shown that people with dilated pupils look more attractive.
26. A study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that being happily married can help to maintain a healthy, low blood pressure.
27. A rare condition called hypopituitarism means that its sufferers are unable to feel romantic love.
Psychological Facts About Love
Falling in love can make people do some crazy things, without even realizing it. These psychology facts on love will help to shine a light on some of the behaviors we see when people fall in love.
28. Psychological and social research indicates that there is a pattern to how people choose partners. The Matching Hypothesis says that people are more attracted to those that they share a level of attractiveness with, or are equally socially desirable.
29. Research shows that couples who are too similar to each other won't last. Maybe this is where the saying "opposites attract" comes from!
30. Looking at pictures of a loved one can help to ease pain. An experiment showed that people who were in pain and exposed to pictures of their loved ones had their pain reduced far more than those exposed to pictures of acquaintances.
31. It only takes up to four minutes to decide if you like someone, and this is thought to be more about body language and tone of voice, than what's actually being said.
32. A study published in the Journal of Personality followed 245 couples for nine months, and the results showed that being in a relationship made neurotic partners more optimistic and self-confident, because of the positive emotions and experiences associated with the relationship.
33. In a study published in a journal called Personal Relationships, research showed that couples who laughed together were more satisfied in their relationship.
34. Although women are sometimes seen as being more emotional, a study published in The Journal of Social Psychology found that it is actually men who tend to fall in love and say "I love you" more quickly - women supposedly take 15 days to fall in love whilst men only take eight seconds!
35. The American Health and Human Services Department analyzed studies that compared marriage and health, and found that married people reported fewer doctor's visits and shorter hospital stays!
36. A study conducted into food and love showed that people who were thinking about love said a specific kind of food tasted sweeter than those thinking about something neutral or negative.
True Facts About Love
Over the years, people have conducted plenty of studies about the wonders of romantic love, and have shared all sorts of statistics about love. From your chances of finding 'the one' to the percentage of people who are actually happy in their relationships, this amazing fact-based trivia about love might surprise you.
37. A study has shown that the chance of finding love on any given day, if you leave it to chance, is 1 in 562. But you can improve the odds by being more proactive and doing things like going out with friends, for example.
38. A national report called "The Happiness Index: Love and Relationships in America" showed that 64% of Americans are "very happy" in their romantic relationships with a partner or spouse.
39. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 50% of Americans aged 18 and older were married in 2017, down 8% from 1990.
40. In 2015, for every 1,000 married adults aged 50 and older, 10 had divorced (up from five in 1990).
41. According to a 2013 research study, about nine in ten Americans, or 88%, cited love as a very important reason to get married. Making a lifelong commitment came in at 81% and companionship came in at 76%.
42. A survey of over 5,000 travellers, conducted by HSBC, found that around one in every 50 travelers has met their soul mate on a plane.
43. According to the Guinness World Records, Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher broke the record for the longest marriage in history in February 2011; they had been married for 86 years and 290 days.
44. Joseph Andrew Dekenipp, a prisoner in Arizona, broke out of jail so he could meet his girlfriend on Valentine's Day.
45. According to a 2020 survey, 12% of Americans said they found their spouse or partner on an internet dating site.
Cute Facts About Love
Swans symbolize love and are often shown with their necks intertwined to form a heart.
From love symbols to romantic poetry, these random facts about love will make you smile.
46. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
47. Venus is the Roman goddess of love, and the equivalent of Aphrodite.
48. Venus and Aphrodite are both represented by a swan. Swans symbolize love and are often shown sitting together, touching beaks, their necks intertwined to form the shape of a heart.
49. In Roman mythology, Venus gave birth to Cupid who became the god of love. He is usually depicted as a child, or cherub, with wings and a magic bow which shoots golden arrows that make people fall in love.
50. Juno is the Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth.
51. Red roses are a symbol of love, and are linked to the goddess Aphrodite.
52. The love knot is a unique Celtic love symbol, which is made up of two ropes joined together in a tricky knot so that the ropes seem like one.
53. The heart shape has long been a popular symbol of love (even though it is nothing like the shape of our physical hearts!)
54. Ribbons and frills are linked to romance. Hundreds of years ago, knights would ride into battle with a ribbon or scarf given to them by their beloved, and women would drop their lace handkerchiefs in the hope that a man would demonstrate his interest by picking it up and giving it back to her.
55. Doves mate for life and so are used as a symbol of love and fidelity - some people even release doves on their wedding day.
56. The Claddagh is an Irish love symbol commonly used in jewelry, with a ring bearing the Claddagh often used as an engagement ring. The symbol has three parts: the crown that symbolizes loyalty, the heart that symbolizes love, and two hands that symbolize friendship.
57. The Shell is also used to represent love, and the Roman goddess Venus is often depicted emerging from the sea in a scallop shell.
58. The harp is a symbol of love; it represents devotion and connects heaven and earth.
59. The maple leaf also represents love in North America, where a stork weaving a maple branch into a nest symbolizes the love of welcoming a new child.
