The mechanism of imprinting plays an important role in shaping our sexual attraction and love preferences. I explain what “imprinting” is elsewhere. Early works by Konrad Lorenz (Lorenz, 1935) demonstrated that the early experiences of birds and animals could affect … Continue reading
Imprinting of Love Attachment
We tend to perceive people who look familiar to us as more attractive than those who look unfamiliar. This is the familiarity principle that also guides our mating, sexual preferences, and love. The phenomenon of imprinting is at the root … Continue reading
Attraction to Familiar Others
Something familiar is frequently attractive to us, despite our interest in novelty. It is a persistent pattern of human perception and behavior, which is called the familiarity principle (Reis & Sprecher, 2009). The principle is rooted in the mere exposure effect. … Continue reading
Genetic Diversity and Genetic Sexual Attraction
Despite the importance of similarity in genetic sexual attraction, genetic diversity is equally important in love. It appears that both similarities and differences between love partners play important roles. Evolutionary Value of Genetic Diversity Genetic sexual attraction plays an important … Continue reading
Genetic Secrets of Love Attraction
From a biological evolutionary perspective, the genetic similarity must be important for sexual attraction. Intersexual attraction helps sexually dimorphic animals, such as birds and mammals, select a proper mate because they cannot reproduce offspring with anyone. They can do this … Continue reading
Love Power Is in the Power of Both Fire and Water
The aid of a metaphorical lexicon help us better grasp what love is. Various Western and Eastern languages and cultures have metaphors, metonyms, and related concepts for “fire,” “heat,” and “water” that stand for the core qualities of love (see … Continue reading
Cultures Across the World Regard Love as Fire
A metaphoric lexicon helps us better understand what love is. In many languages, the metaphors, metonyms, and related concepts of “fire” and “heat” represent the strong passion of love (see Karandashev, 2019). The metaphors of “love as fire are among … Continue reading
Love Is Hot as Fire: European and North American Cultures
Metaphors, metonyms, and related concepts enrich and deepen our understanding and experience of love. Many languages and cultures use various metaphorical expressions of love (Kövecses, 1988; Kövecses,2003). In many European and North American cultures, love is compared to fire, a … Continue reading
Love as a Natural Force
Metaphors, metonyms, and related concepts make our understanding and experience of love richer and deeper. Various metaphorical expressions of love are quite typical across many languages and cultures (Kövecses, 1988, 2003). For instance, the “love” metaphoric lexicon expresses the emotional experience … Continue reading
Love Words Across Languages and Cultures
PDF version Why do people use so many love words? What is the meaning behind all these love words? Love is so diverse in its variety of meanings and connotations, such as attraction and attachment, passion and compassion, intimacy and … Continue reading