A psychological study on the positive impacts of experiencing love

Pages: 513-518
Siksha Deepak (Department of Psychology, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi)
Harpreet Bhatia (Department of Psychology, Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Pitampura, Delhi)
N. K. Chadha (Research and Doctoral Program, Manav Rachna University, Faridabad, Haryana)

Love is a strong emotion and a basic individual needs of humans. Since love is a much pursued emotion, it has a profound impact on the individuals who experiences it. Wide variety of literature throws light on the fact that love provides oneself with a strong sense of subjective well-being. Because of this, love is given great significance in the field of positive psychology. Though its effects could be negative as well as positive, this paper describes the positive influences of experiencing the various types of love. These include romantic love which involves a sexual intimacy, and other forms of love which do not involve sexual intimacy, one example of which is parental love. The healing effects of love cannot be denied as it proves to be an enduring support system during the times of stress. It is also associated with the release of endorphins in the body which are frequently referred to as the ‘happy hormones’. True love of a partner provides depth to the relationship and strength to the person towards whom it is directed. At the same time, when one experiences love, there is an expansion of the self as one incorporates the other in one’s own self-concept. There are additional health benefits of experiencing this intense emotion. All these aspects of love will be discussed in the present paper.