¶ … controversy with regard to love, as its complexity can make individuals have completely different perspectives on the concept. Love versus intimacy addresses the idea of feelings being owed primarily to two people liking the thought of being together as a result of the physical attraction between them. To a certain degree this type of love can be considered in a context involving instinct -- the two individuals are fueled by their sexual thinking and believe that it would be in their best interest to be together. Behavioral and physical elements of attraction play an important role at this point, as the connection between two individuals occurs instantaneously.[footnoteRef:1] [1: Rilke, R. M. "Letters to a Young Poet." p. 64.] When considering love versus attachment, this type of association can be stronger, as the two individuals experience an emotional connection at this moment. One can regard this as a classical form of love during the early stages of a relationship -- people feel the need to stay together as much as possible and consider that their peer is, in a way, their match. Two individuals can also feel this type of love in later stages of their relationship, especially if they perform activities characteristic to it.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Idem]

Love versus commitment involves a more powerful form of connection between people. In this situation two individuals feel that they are particularly compatible and that there are very little events that can break the bond between them. In contrast to the second stage of love, commitment can influence an individual to be less bothered by their significant other's flaws. When two people are at this stage in their relationship they are more likely to take on similar goals and to consider that the overall relationship is probable to last indefinitely.

Question 2.

From the beginning of history love has been an active element in all human communities in one form or another. It has made it possible for people to become better on all levels and to be able to basically evolve. In some cases in the natural world, there are animals that no longer have the need to reproduce in order to create newborns. Whiptail lizards do not require the resources needed in order to court other animals from the same species. "During the breeding season, each develops eight to ten unfertilized ova, eggs that will hatch as perfect replicas of themselves."[footnoteRef:3] In contrast, humans are still part of a community of individuals that need to court each-other in order to be able to reproduce. While this might seem like an inefficient form of reproduction, it actually has a great deal of advantages. [3: Fischer, H. "Anatomy of Love." P. 60.]

As previously said, love is an important element in humanity's overall evolutionary process. One of the most significant aspects about love and courtship in general is the fact that it brings variety to the gene pool. This way, humans are more likely to evolve into better versions of the original human being. Love thus enables individuals to play an active role in the way that humanity evolves, as people start to be more likely to develop some of their traits.

Question 3.

Although it might seem that men have been genetically designed to be polygamous, the reality is that polygamy could not possibly be an efficient concept in the contemporary society. "Because of the genetic advantages of polygyny for men and because so many societies permit polygyny, many anthropologists think that harem building is a badge of the human animal."[footnoteRef:4] According to Fischer, however, the situation is much more complex, as the number of individuals in communities supporting polygyny who actually have a harem is between 5 and 10%. This makes it possible for someone to understand that polygyny is not a feasible concept. [4: Fischer, H. "Anatomy of Love." P. 69.]

Although people are social animals, it appears that they are more likely to be successful as a consequence of living monogamous lives. Even with this, there is much controversy regarding this theory, as some might be influenced by society's ideas in thinking that it would be wrong for them to be polygamous.

Question 4.

Many think about the saying "love is a drug" as if it were nothing more than an expression. However, the truth is that it can be much more when considering the logical aspects of falling in love. When an individual falls in love, he or she is likely to experience interesting feelings related to the fact that dopamine is being released.

Helen Fischer's video "Is Love An Addiction?" provides a succinct explanation of love in relation to addiction. Especially...

Treating love as an addiction makes it possible for a person to gain better control of his or her feelings. In some cases when individuals are rejected, they basically need to address love as an addiction in order to be able to get over the thought of not being with the person they love.
The video also relates to the addiction-like feelings associated with love as being present during the early stages of a relationship more than it is during later stages. A series of people actually feel the need to take their relationships back to the moment when they felt addicted to each-other's presence.

Question 5.

The triune brain model theory was proposed by Paul D. MacLean in the 1960s and it was aimed to describe the structural complexes that have been added to the forebrain as humanity evolved. The theory promotes the idea that there are three individual complexes within the brain: reptilian, paleomammalian, and neommamalian.[footnoteRef:5] [5: MacLean. P. "The Triune Brain in Evolution: Role in Paleocerebral Functions." (Springer Science & Business Media, 31 Jan 1990)]

MacLean believed that the reptilian complex was a part that humanity somewhat borrowed from the world of reptiles. This respective complex is believed to be responsible for instinctual behaviors in people such as aggression, territory, and most importantly when considering the topic under discussion, ritual displays. This might be, to a certain degree, one of the elements influencing people to engage in courtship.[footnoteRef:6] [6: Idem]

The Paleomammalian complex was described as largely being composed of the limbic system. MacLean believed that these respective components of the brain were mainly responsible for concepts such as motivation, parental attitudes, and the need to reproduce. Again, when considering the topic at hand, this idea promotes the thought that the Paleomammalian complex plays an important role in encouraging individuals to feel love.[footnoteRef:7] [7: Idem]

The Neomammalian complex is a more sophisticated part of the brain and it is considered to be the fuel behind abstract thinking, complex planning, and language. In a context involving love, it would be safe to say that this complex would assist individuals in engaging in more refined types of courtship.[footnoteRef:8] [8: MacLean. P. "The Triune Brain in Evolution: Role in Paleocerebral Functions." (Springer Science & Business Media, 31 Jan 1990)]

Question 6.

Love can be particularly problematic when considering the multitude of factors involved in a successful relationship that lasts for several years and even decades. Even with this, it would be difficult to determine when love reaches maturity in a relationship. Many would be inclined to believe that it does so consequent to several years during which connections strengthen between two persons. However, the early stages of a relationship also contain some of the most genuine feelings of love. Addiction influences individuals to declare their feelings to their lover through more elaborate channels. This is also owed to the fact that people focus more on influencing their partners to love them during the early stages of their relationship. As they become closer they pay less attention to the idea of courtship, as they consider that they already achieved their primary goal of being together with the person they love.

Even with this, according to Rilke, individuals who are in the early stages of a relationship could not possibly know how to put across mature love. Instead, most of their feelings are owed to them being immature in their feelings, as they do not possess the experience required to connect with their lovers at a greater level.[footnoteRef:9] [9: Rilke, R. M. "Letters to a Young Poet." p. 64.]

Question 7.

When taking into account the idea of love, people often concentrate on the other person first, without being able to understand the importance of loving themselves also. Mary Oliver's poem "Wild Geese" addresses the concept of a person seeing the bigger picture and spending some time focusing on his or her own persona. Through taking on this attitude, he or she becomes better able to interact with others. The idea of self-love is, in a way, a paradox when being discussed in a context involving love toward others. Even with this, a person having a complex understanding of his or her flaws and attributes is much more likely to address them in order to be able to engage in romantic relationship with others.

Oliver discusses with regard to self-love as an…