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Interesting facts about love

The ancient Greeks recognized seven types of love

The ancient Greeks had unique words for seven different types of love. These included:

• Platonic love (Philia)
• Familial love (Storge)
• Universal love (Agape)
• Practical, enduring love (Pragma) often found in long term relationships
• Passionate love (Eros)
• Self-love (Philautia)
• Playful love (Ludus)

"Love" can mean different things in different contexts to different people—these terms capture some of this variation, encompassing the wide range of emotions and connections that make up our well-being.

Wearing wedding rings on the fourth finger traces back to ancient times

The tradition of wearing wedding rings on the fourth finger of the left hand traces back to the ancient Greeks, ancient Romans, and ancient Egyptians, who thought that a vein or nerve in that finger traveled straight to the heart.

Love potions were once popular methods of attracting new love

In past centuries, falling in love was sometimes encouraged by love potions, which were believed to make someone fall in love or experience sexual arousal. For instance, the ancient Greeks often used plants such as satyrion in their love potions to attempt to increase sexual desire in the receiver, hoping to stimulate the same feeling of passion and attraction that we often associate with modern relationships.

People may have different love languages

According to the "five love languages," popularized in the book by Gary Chapman, there may be five different ways that people feel loved and show romantic love. These include:

• Acts of service
• Words of affirmation
• Physical touch
• Quality time
• Gift giving

Each person is said to have a different love language, which could even impact long distance relationships. Finding out your love language may help you express your needs to a partner, providing valuable relationship advice. For some people, having deeper conversations helps them know they are loved, eliciting positive emotions. For others, a long embrace or even love at first sight may be ideal. Learning your partner's love language may help you understand what makes them feel most cared for. These psychological facts can help you foster a secure attachment pattern in your relationship.

Love can improve your physical and mental health

Much can be learned from psychological facts about love. Research shows that falling in love can be beneficial for physical and mental health, including improving mood, reducing stress, mitigating anxiety, and increasing longevity. Love hormone, such as oxytocin, plays a significant role in these positive effects. Research from Stanford University School has also shown that men in monogamous relationships or with a loved one are less likely to die from a heart attack, potentially due to lowered blood pressure, than those who live in prolonged isolation. Embracing the lovers gaze and connection can help alleviate intense emotional stress, further promoting well-being.

Animals often form monogamous relationships

Many animals form monogamous relationships, including around 90% of the world's bird species, and some even mate for life. A few animals that mate for life in the animal kingdom include: 

• Bald eagles
• Gibbons
• Beavers
• Gray wolves
• Sandhill cranes

Eye contact may cause couples' heartbeats to sync

When you fall in love and stare into your partner's eyes, it may cause your heartbeat to sync with theirs, even at first sight. A series of studies found that couples sitting across from each other could get their heart rate in sync, possibly because their chemical makeup compliments one another. However, when the two individuals sitting across from each other were not from the same couple or were strangers in an online dating scenario, "their hearts did not show synchrony." This fascinating phenomenon highlights the unique connections that can form in romantic relationships.

Committed relationships can help alleviate chronic pain

Studies show that your brain's reward pathway is stimulated in a healthy relationship, which can relieve pain.

Although love may not cure chronic pain or physical illness, it may offer some relief. 

Broken heart syndrome is a real medical condition

Also called stress cardiomyopathy, broken heart syndrome can occur when a person experiences a sudden, highly stressful event, with symptoms that mimic those of a heart attack. The condition is usually temporary and reversible, though death has happened in about 1% of cases. This condition is not necessarily related to the symptoms of sadness and loneliness that accompany a broken heart following a breakup or divorce – but can happen in severe cases. 

Marriage may improve behavior

Studies have found that those who tie the knot may eat better, maintain healthier lifestyles, and even take fewer risks than single people on average. These improved behaviors might offer some explanation for the possible link between marriage and better health. 

Online dating may help you meet your future partner

If you are wondering if an online dating app is an effective way to meet your future partner, and find true love, the answer seems to be yes for many people. A study of U.S. adults by the Pew Research Center found that 12% of the respondents said they had married or been in a committed relationship with someone they first met through an online dating site or app.

Love may have evolved over time

According to some researchers, love is not a recent thing, but rather a “complex suite of adaptions” that have evolved over time to address the challenges of survival and reproduction. 

Scent may impact attraction

Research shows that scent may affect how we perceive others, including their attractiveness, as it can calm the fear centers of the brain. Certain scents may be perceived as more attractive than others, possibly due to an instinctive response that associates specific scents with potential partners or positive experiences.

Humans may be attracted to similarities

While the idea that “opposites attract” is thrown around a lot in the context of relationships, some research has shown that many people are more attracted to those who are similar to themselves. 

There may be three components to love

According to the triangular theory of love, there are three different components of love that can interact with each other in a relationship, and when taken in combination, they can create different kinds of love. These three components are intimacy, commitment, and passion.

The longest marriage lasted more than 80 years

According to Guinness World Records, the longest marriage ever belongs to Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher, who were married for 86 years and 290 days.

Navigating love with online therapy

In such cases, talking to an individual or couples therapist could help. Studies show that couples therapy “positively impacts 70% of couples receiving treatment,” and online therapy has been shown to be similarly effective as in-person therapy. 

Talking about love and relationships can feel very personal and vulnerable, so some people may prefer to dive into such discussions from the comfort of their own home. With online therapy sites like BetterHelp for individuals or Regain for couples, you can connect with a counselor from wherever you feel most at ease—including from home. 

Read below to see reviews from clients who have found help in the past.

Counselor reviews

"Michal helped me gain new perspectives on the anxiety that I was feeling about my life direction and relationships. I left every session feeling like I had been offered new tools and strategies for being my best self. She is a calm and active listener, and always offers good insight and understanding about the issues I'm struggling with. Thanks Michal!" Get To Know Michal Collier

"The impact I have felt while unfolding pieces of my trauma in therapy has been powerful. My work life, my relationship with my significant other, my relationships with my family, new personal boundaries, learning emotional literacy, are all pieces we have touched on. My processing between sessions and the reading materials I have gotten now make me feel more equipped to move forward in my life's journey to grow as a person. I come away with a new revelation about myself each session." Get To Know Dr. Lindsay Stone