Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2025

Taste Exam: A Brief and Validated Test
Published on: August 17, 2018
The meaning of love and its bittersweet nature
Paul T P Wong1, Claude-Hélène Mayer2
1Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada.
Abstract:
Love is the core of human experience and central to our meaning in life and wellbeing, yet it is also a complex concept full of ambiguity and contradiction. The main purpose of this paper is fourfold: Firstly, we want to clarify questions such as 'What is the meaning of love?' and 'Why is meaning of love so important to us?' Secondly, we want to explain why love is both suffering and essential for our happiness and mental health. Thirdly, we identify the major types of love and clarify which types are constructive and which are destructive. We also identify the key dimensions of true love. Finally, we emphasise that love does not always mean happiness; rather, it is meant to be a school to teach us important lessons and to make us complete. Therefore, we need to embrace suffering and at the same time cultivate the constructive types of love to improve our mental health and to make the world a more compassionate place.
More Related Videos
07:14Investigating the 'Uncatchable Smile' in Leonardo da Vinci's La Bella Principessa: A Comparison with the Mona Lisa and Pollaiuolo's Portrait of a Girl
Published on: October 4, 2016
09:17Psychophysical Tracking Method to Measure Taste Preferences in Children and Adults
Published on: July 16, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love
Relationship Formation
The Physiology of Taste
Social Exchange Theory
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Work of a Couple Moment
When the rigid body undergoes a differential displacement due to a couple, its motion can be divided into two parts: equal translation of the two points to their final...