The Dual Nature of Love

Love is both a universal emotion and an extraordinarily personal experience, where common emotional archetypes merge with the unique life experience of each of us. At the beginning of a relationship, everything seems magical: the beloved acquires an aura of indispensability, and every glance and every word is received with special tenderness, as if the ordinary becomes exceptional. This sensation, akin to euphoria, when thoughts of the loved one fill every morning and evening, unites millions of people regardless of their life path.

At the same time, the true charm of love is manifested in the lessons and trials it brings. Each of us experiences moments of disappointment or loss, and it is precisely through these challenges that a deep understanding of true love comes. The personal experience, filled with conflicting emotions, allows the creation of one’s unique relationship history, where every victory and every mistake becomes an integral part of the journey toward self-discovery and mutual understanding.

Thus, although the basic templates of love—idealization, emotional excitement, and the desire to be close—are common to all, the true essence of this emotion is revealed in the individuality of each experience.

Is the behavior characteristic of those in love universal, or does each person experience love in their own way?

Based on the analyzed quotes, it can be said that the behavior of those in love includes both universal elements and individual characteristics. On the one hand, some manifestations—such as the idealization of the beloved, described as a gaze turning an ordinary person into the only and indispensable one ("The person who is loved externally remains no better, no more beautiful than others, but for the loving eye, they appear as the only, incomparable, indispensable one…")—indicate that infatuation has common qualities characteristic of different people regardless of their personal life path (source: link ). Likewise, the strong emotional arousal, euphoria, and immersion into a state where everything else fades into the background ("Infatuation is close to euphoria… We fall asleep and wake up with thoughts of the beloved...") are universal traits typical of many love experiences (source: link ).

On the other hand, there is the opinion that each person goes through love in their own way, through personal trials, failures, and lessons. For example, it is asserted that it is through the experience of loss or disappointment that we truly learn to love ("WE LEARN LOVE only at the distance of failure. Without failure, there is no understanding..."), which implies a deeply individual nature of the love experience (source: link ). In addition, it is emphasized that each person’s journey is unique, and their personal experience, related to the fulfillment of the deeper aspects of their being, gives love a special individual resonance ("The journey of each of us along our destiny is a journey to replenish the depths of our being with our good qualities and our weaknesses, our riches and our poverty, our light and our darkness...") (source: link ).

Thus, it can be concluded that the basic emotional and behavioral patterns of love—such as idealization, euphoria, and the desire to be with the beloved—have a universal character, yet the uniqueness of each person’s life experience makes the perception and experience of love a deeply individual process.

Supporting citation(s):
" The person who is loved externally remains no better, no more attractive than others, but for the loving gaze they seem the only, unparalleled, indispensable one. ... This is what is called idealization." (source: link )

" The journey of each of us along our destiny is a journey to replenish the depths of our being with our good qualities and our weaknesses, our riches and our poverty, our light and our darkness." (source: link )

" Infatuation is close to euphoria. We seem to be possessed. We fall asleep and wake with thoughts of the beloved. We dream of meeting. Together we are as if in paradise..." (source: link )

" WE LEARN LOVE only at the distance of failure. Without failure there is no understanding; understanding always comes after tasting the fruit. ..." (source: link )