Understanding The 3 Types of Love

To understand what kind of love you are feeling and where in your relationship you are, you should understand the differences between the three types of love. The three different kinds of love are Eros Love, Philos Love and Agape (unconditional love).

Eros Love

Eros love is also known as romantic love. It is that feeling you get in the honeymoon period of a relationship when your new love can do no wrong. You have ‘fallen in love’. You are smitten by everything the object of your desire says and does. You are oblivious to your lovers faults and love everything about them. Eros or romantic love is so powerful because of chemicals released by your brain whenever you are with that special person. Read more about romantic love.

Eros love generally happens in the first 0-8 months of a relationship.

Philos Love

Philos love is the deeper love between friends or couples. It is experienced once you have got to know the real person, not the man or woman you see during the romantic love phase. It is based on more than how physically attractive a guy or girl is.

Philos love takes time to develop, unlike eros love which can come crashing down on you in a matter of seconds (think teenage crushes!). You can only enter philos love when you have spent much time with your lover and really understand what he or she is about. You know their core beliefs and morals, the way they think and what they love doing. If these values are aligned with yours then you will feel Philos love towards them.

Philos love begins once the infatuation stage of eros love has passed.

Agape or Unconditional Love

The highest form of love is Agape. It is totally unconditional. You love that person no matter who they are or what they do. Agape doesn’t have to happen in relationships. You can feel unconditional love towards animals, towards your parents, and towards your friends. It is sometimes know as ‘divine love’ and often refered to in spirituality.

Tagged as: agape, philos love, romantic love