What is love?

[Sejanus]

"Love" is the same as "hate" and "desire" and every other "feeling".

It's all chemicals.

Tell me about the compound in your avatar. (This is the second time I've asked, mate)

[Jackalope]

Love is sending a pair of bears to maul dozens of unruly children to death.

Or was that justice? I can't keep this shit straight.

[ShaMan]

"Love" is the same as "hate" and "desire" and every other "feeling".

It's all chemicals.

Tell me about the compound in your avatar. (This is the second time I've asked, mate)

My apologies, I missed your first inquiry. The compound in my avatar is a common, naturally occurring amino acid alkaloid in the phenethylamine class. You'd find it in a few common landscape plants.

[Sejanus]

Tell me about the compound in your avatar. (This is the second time I've asked, mate)

My apologies, I missed your first inquiry. The compound in my avatar is a common, naturally occurring amino acid alkaloid in the phenethylamine class. You'd find it in a few common landscape plants.

I thought it was an amino acid. Any particular reason for using it in your avatar?

[ShaMan]

My apologies, I missed your first inquiry. The compound in my avatar is a common, naturally occurring amino acid alkaloid in the phenethylamine class. You'd find it in a few common landscape plants.

I thought it was an amino acid. Any particular reason for using it in your avatar?

Oh yes indeed

And the mystery ensues.

---

My happiness is unaffected by the status of that of my spouse, and yet I "love" her dearly. I can empathize with her if she is suffering, but my "happiness" is independent of hers, and is not co-dependent upon hers.

Then turn it around. If you wife is temporarily miserable, is you own happiness unaffected during that time? If so, I'm unsure how you can say that you 'love' her, and but be happy when she is not.

Boru

I am not an emotional leech (my term, not yours). I needn't feel miserable simply because someone I "love" is unhappy. If to you, "love" means that one must emote in accord with their mate, then we have vastly differing perspectives on what "love" is. I have said that "feelings" (including love) are all the byproducts of chemical reactions in the brain. If my mate's chemicals are in a "bad" place, and she therefore feels "unhappy", then what benefit does our team gather by disturbing my "good" chemical mix with "bad" emotions?

I liken this mindset to the dysfunctional phrase.. "Happy wife, happy life". Neither my spouse nor I buy into the trap. Once again, I can be empathetic, but I needn't hinder my [brain soup] to do so.

[bennyboy]

Love is the recognition that something has inspired altruistic feelings in you.

[Rev. Rye]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyL9zoYyv8U

[Whateverist]

Just a four letter word.

[faithinwhat]

Love is something that can't be defined know matter how much you try. I think the only way you can describe it is if you have lossed someone, because although is a feeling of loss it shows that there was once love. There are different kinds of love, for your family for your friends, but I think for you to love someone as a partner its a sense of doing anything you can to make them happy, to make them smile or just simply wanting nobody else and not being to imagine your life with out them in it.

Don't know where that came from, its too much of a deep question, I'm going to eat cheerios now

[ElleBelle]

Love is watching someone puke up their guts for hours and still finding them hot.