How has the concept of [romantic] “love” evolved throughout history?
and How do you think it differs from culture to culture??
Re: Love
Its the greatest trick men have to bed women!
Re: Love
^and...
Re: Love
First of all..Define love.
I believe that love has changed it meanings through out the history and culture by culture. If you think deeply.
Love means to passionately care for someone, be with someone, always try to keep that someone happy.
For example: I love my parents more than anything in this world.
If you ask to explain the meaning of love from anyone else. This meaning may differ, because today people think that Love is some a week-month worth of relationship or a one night stand. Soon when they are done with their "love" they go on looking for the second "love."
In other words, today if you think about it. Love means having fun with the lady for few months or weeks and move on.
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i don't think the feeling or the meaning of love has changed over time or even across cultures.
Oh yaa??
“Janu I love you soo much”
5 months later.
“Janu I love you but I gotta let you go because my heart is with Rubina”
“I dont love you enough”
Thats the meaning of love these days. 
Ha. I thought juggling was the greatest trick men have to bed women.
The answer lies in more questions. How have humans evolved throughout history? In what ways have we changed?
Culture affects the expression of love, that is all.
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maybe the expression of love has changed then?
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Love has gained more importance as the modern age has developed. Before you had sexual debauchery and arranged marriages for a good 300 years. The notion of love conquering all is a recent creation of bollywood and hollywood. And not much else.
Love means different things to different people. You can't define it in a manner in which it would appeal to everybody. Rather it would hold different meanings for different people. And thus can not be defined.
Since it can not be defined it can not be studied in a permanent state.
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^wow CM, impressive : )
But, we had Romeo and Juliet and Heer and Ranjha before bollywood and hollywood.
Romantic love is as old as we are. For the purposes of this discussion shall we stick to a generic definition? Something like; having someone live in your thoughts, wanting to be with them, wanting to, er, bone them; all adds up to romantic love.
There are stories and songs of it from all across the world, from way back when. If you google a brief history of love songs, it'll lead you to an interesting site: Which would indicate it has always been important (we have always been foolish, but at least the Romans had some fun with it.)
As to what has changed, CM mentioned Hollywood/Bollywood, and I'd agree about their being responsible for peddling this notion of happily ever after that so many people aspire to; bloody Disney!
Other things to take into account are opportunity and changes in convention. Opportunity because the genders are less segregated and more connected than ever before; no worries about trying to woo the person who lives four villages over and you only see them at weddings because, now, Nokia et al are there to do the work for you. Therefore expression is easier. Personally, I'm distrustful of anything that comes about too easily. Changes in convention, for most Asians the traditional convention has always been that the unit is more important than the individual. So one is expected to sacrifice wants for the greater good, or what is perceived to be the greater good, of the familial unit. But with the advent of easier communication, influences from other cultures, and even things like economical and educational changes, the individual is beginning to become more important, and they have more opportunity to pursue their wants.
Um, I hope this all makes sense, I have a tendency to ramble at times.
Re: Love
^that is not rambling, i agree completely!
esp, the part about the unit being more important than the individual...(idea for a new thread, thanks!)
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I don’t know…I think you can’t love any 2 ppl the same way…Like you love your parents, but you love your significant other in another way, you love your best friend in another way…and your kids in another way…
Also love matures with age…maybe when you are younger it is all hormonal…and when you get older your priorities in life change…you will feel more calm about life…
I don’t know…am very confused these days 
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I sometimes feel it just equates to respect.
Esp, when you are older..mutual respect and understanding = love.
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^yea..you are right....coz passion tends to fade away when you get older...so all you have is friendship, respect and trust in each other...
First we love our parents,our siblings,then we love our spouse and after that we love our children, then we love our grand children.Above all I love ALLAH and our Prophet Mohammad (p.b.u.h.). Love surrounds our whole life in different shapes and forms, we cannot live without it.Romantic love grows more with time, it gives respect to relationship as said your self phil.