Love is an ever evolving element.  Although it changes, much of its characteristics remain the same.  This allows us to experience it in similar ways, ultimately letting us define and understand it the way most of the human race defines and understands it.  Learn to know the different types of love and how they can change your life:

Filial Love

Filial love is the love felt by parents to their children and vice versa.  This type of love is protective, pure, selfless and nurturing.

Filial love is an important component of the structure of the family.  Without it, no family could hope to survive, considering that caring for the young without expecting anything in return will become impossible without the sacrifice that is almost always present in filial love.

Courtly Love

Courtly love became all the rage starting in the 11th century until the 13th century.  We have the poet Ovid to blame for this.  What sets courtly love apart from other types of love is the way the concept of loving is defined and practiced.  The rules of courtly love has been so defined that it has actually  considered a code of behavior for those involved, particularly the nobles who practiced it so amorously.

Courtly love involved two individuals, usually a nobleman and a lady of high birth or a married noblewoman.  He courts her through anonymous love letters and then proves himself by performing heroic deeds.  The relationship was sometimes consummated but it was maintained in utmost secrecy, considering that most of these were adulterous.

Romantic Love

Romantic love is the love between two individuals who have high ideals for the connection they feel.  In this type of love, the man and woman have an idealized concept of love, raising it to a level that makes it nearly spiritual, even if the relationship can sometimes involve physical or sexual contact.

Platonic Love

Platonic love in the simplest terms is the love between two individuals (usually a man and a woman) that relies more on the strength of their spiritual bond than on the physical attraction that may or may not be present.  This is the love shared between two people who have a deep friendship, one that’s built on trust and understanding.  This type of love is never consummated.

Sexual Love

Sexual love is the type of love shared by two people who have a deep physical attraction to each other, coupled by a mutual trust and understanding.  This is the type of love that is often present in marriages.