Love In Barbara Fredrickson: What Is Love?

When I traditionally think of love, the dictionary definition often comes to mind. A natural feeling that happens often without control or forewarning; a feeling that overwhelms you completely. There could either be love at first sight or the feeling could be formed over a long period of time consisting of small moments that build up into this passionate feeling. “What is love? Baby don’t hurt me- don’t hurt me, no more”. The 1993 classic’s catchy hook may sound nice but has layers of sophisticated meaning. Like this hip single, much of mainstream music depicts love as a romantic, usually lustful, relationship between two individuals. Barbara Fredrickson brings to the forefront the idea that love may actually be much more.

The notion of love

One that possibly contributes to what makes us human(survival of the fittest). She juxtaposes love to a to a screenplay where “ main characters deliver their lines quietly, most often fully outside of your conscious awareness. As you move through your day, these biological characters- your brain, your oxytocin, and your vagus nerve- are ever responsive to set changes ( Frederickson 109-110).” We are introduced to the characters that make “love” happen in our bodies. The Princeton University study (211) provides an actual metric for Fredrickson's positivity resonance. “...the degree to which your brains lit up in synchrony…”. Scientists have found a way to quantify love. I find that

Understanding the science behind love certainly will help one towards self-improvement as society will more actively try to pursue meaningful connections and try more to empathize with others. Simply sharing a laugh, understanding each other's problems, eating together, and even crying together builds the foundation that love grows on These micro moments are what makes the concept of love so much more complicated and beautiful than what people originally think. Personally, I now know how helpful understanding love and its benefits. Becoming more positive as a person is surely beneficial and healthy as Barbara Fredrickson states that “evidence suggests that positivity resonance raises your oxytocin levels. And under the influence of oxytocin, you grow calmer, more attuned to others, friendlier, and more open. Here, too, your skills for forging connections sharpen (Frederickson 120).” Evidently the mental and physical benefits of simply being more positive about love are endless. Understanding the deeper aspects of love scientifically can make anymore more positive, interactive, and most importantly, they can achieve the happiness everyone longs for.

This article has good intentions but in my personal opinion I feel is walking into unknown territory. The support given by Barbara Fredrickson are like Jango pieces upon the assumption that love