Love is a vast term with a combination of different types of love in a relationship. Each kind of love has its uniqueness and importance. That’s why we have 8 different words for the types of love we commonly experience throughout our lifetime.
The 8 different types of love are:
- Eros (Romantic Love)
- Pragma (Practical Love)
- Ludus (Playful Love)
- Agape (Unconditional Love)
- Philia (Friendship Love)
- Philautia (Self Love)
- Storge (Familial Love)
- Mania (Obsessive Love)
(1) EROS (ROMANTIC LOVE)
Romantic Love is the passionate love that comes naturally for most people. The exciting and affectionate emotions felt in the initial stages of a relationship describe the love known as Eros. Relationships often start with passion, including infatuation and attraction and are then displayed through physical intimacy. It is exciting as it is a fusion element, designed to draw people together.
The level of intensity in this type of love is high as it is based on chemistry and instinct. That feeling of falling in love sparks a deep desire to open up and connect with our partner, creating a powerful bond filled with intimacy and strengthened by the feelings of lust.
(2) PRAGMA (PRACTICAL LOVE)
Practical Love is the love which is grounded in duty and practicality. This might apply well to the type of love that is felt in an arranged marriage as this is the kind of love we see in long-standing relationships and life partnerships- like when we see an old couple that has been together for decades and decades. These are the couples who find a way to make it work anyhow.
Pragma is the love which requires commitment and might be thought of as the love that takes years to develop through bonding and shared experiences. Our brain sees the cherished long-term partner as a source of contentment, care and nurture.
(3) LUDUS (PLAYFUL LOVE)
Playful Love is that kind of love which is very flirtatious and fun without the responsibilities that come with eros or pragma. This type of love can be seen in the very early stages of a relationship when two people are flirting and crushing over each other. It often involves laughing, teasing, and feeling crazy around a person.
Playfulness in love is essential as it is one of the magic of keeping the childlike innocence of our love alive, interesting and exciting which is often lost in long-term relationships.
(4) AGAPE (UNCONDITIONAL LOVE)
Unconditional love is a selfless and universal love that extends to strangers, nature, and God. This kind of love is the purest and the highest form of love to offer as it is free from desires and expectations and we love regardless of the flaws. It’s the respect and care given, without any expectations of receiving anything in return.
Offering Agape is a decision to spread love in any circumstances- including problematic situations. This love is not a physical act, it’s an unselfish feeling. It is a spiritual type of love that involves kindness, acceptance, forgiveness, and trust towards others.
(5) PHILIA (FRIENDSHIP LOVE)
Philia is that type of love that develops over a deep, long-lasting friendship. We feel a deep connection with those whom we trust & respect and have faith on a personal level. These friendships are as impactful as romantic relationships.
People who suffer, after losing a long-standing friendship only know how painful it is to lose a friend. It is truly said that the breakup of a friendship is as painful and challenging as the loss of a romantic relationship.
(6) PHILAUTIA (SELF LOVE)
Self-love is that type of love that has been felt a bit of a moment lately- and rightly so! It refers to the self-compassion and love we show ourselves in all possible ways big or small and is one of the most essential types of love. It may seem obvious, but the relationship we have with ourselves is very precious and yes, it needs to be protected.
Philautia is a healthy form of love where we recognize our self-worth and work towards our personal needs. Self-love begins with the recognition of our responsibility towards ourselves. It’s challenging to show the outbound types of love because we can’t offer what we don’t have. It’s simple science, the more love we will have, the more we can offer. We can’t fill from an empty cup, after all.
(7) STORGE (FAMILIAL LOVE)
Familial Love is a natural form of affection that often flows between parents and their children and vice versa. Storge is a powerful form of love but can hinder our spiritual paths, especially when our family or friends don’t align with or support our journey.
Storge differs from Philia because it is strengthened by blood, early memories and familiarity. There’s a valid reason people say “Friends are the family we choose”. We don’t choose our friends based on whether they like our family members or not, we often do love them instinctually. This type of love is compassionate, defensive and deeply rooted in memory.
(8) MANIA (OBSESSIVE LOVE)
Obsessive Love is the love that can lead someone into madness, jealousy or even anger. In this kind of love, we often have the feelings of codependency or the feeling that another person will heal and complete us.
The ones who experience this category of love generally suffer from low self-esteem and most of the obsessive love cases are found in couples with an imbalance of love towards each other. We fear losing the object of our love which forces us to say or do some crazy things to keep our partner. This type of love is the epitome of toxic love and can be highly destructive if not controlled.
