Researchers from Aalto University have actually drawn up where various kinds of love are felt in the body. The research study surveyed people on 27 sort of love, finding that all types are primarily felt in the head. While the strength and reach of these sensations differ, they tend to form a continuum from weaker to more powerful experiences. Cultural and market aspects likewise affect these experiences, recommending additional opportunities for expedition.
New research study clarifies where and how we feel various sort of love.
Scientists from Aalto University have actually made a map of where in the body various kinds of love are felt and how highly they are experienced.
“It was noteworthy, though not very surprising, that the types of love associated with close relationships are similar and are the most strongly experienced,” states thinker Pärttyli Rinne, who collaborated the research study. Doctoral scientist Mikke Tavast evaluated the information, while scientist Enrico Glerean established the research study approaches. The task was collectively started by Rinne and Professor Emeritus Mikko Sams.
Research Methodology
The group surveyed individuals about how they experienced 27 various kinds of love, such as romantic love, sexual love, adult love, and love for pals, complete strangers, nature, God, or themself. The group asked individuals where they felt the various kinds of love in their bodies and how extreme the sensation was physically and psychologically.
Their findings, released in Philosophical Psychology, recommend that the various kinds of love form a continuum from weaker to more powerful. All of the types were felt highly in the head, however they varied throughout the remainder of the body– some spread just to the chest, while others were felt all over. The greatest types of love were felt most commonly throughout the body.
To construct the map, the scientists gathered information from numerous individuals through an online study. Most of the actions were from girls in college. Participants were asked to color in a body shape to reveal where they felt each kind of love. They were likewise inquired about how they felt the various types physically and psychologically, how enjoyable the sensation was, and how it was related to touch. Finally, they were asked to rank the nearness of the kinds of love.
Insights and Findings
“Love between persons is divided into sexual and non-sexual. The types of love that are particularly close to each other are those that have a sexual or romantic dimension,” states Rinne.
“It was also interesting to find a strong correlation between the physical and mental intensity of the emotion and its pleasantness. The more strongly a type of love is felt in the body, the more strongly it’s felt in the mind, and the more pleasant it is,” includes Rinne.
Rinne states that the group was captivated by the reality that all the various kinds of love are felt in the head. “When we move from more strongly experienced types of love to less strongly experienced types, the sensations in the chest area become weaker. It may be that, for example, love for strangers or wisdom is associated with a cognitive process. It may also be that there are pleasant sensations in the head area. This is something that should be investigated further,” states Rinne.
Cultural Variances and Study Limitations
Rinne likewise keeps in mind that there are cultural distinctions in love which the demographics of the study hall are connected to the experience of love. “If the same study were done in a highly religious community, love for God might be the most strongly experienced love of all. Similarly, if the subjects were parents in a relationship, as in our ongoing brain study project, love for children could be the strongest type of love,” states Rinne.
Reference: “Body maps of loves” by Pärttyli Rinne, Mikke Tavast, Enrico Glerean and Mikko Sams, 5 September 2023, Philosophical Psychology
DOI: 10.1080/0951508920232252464
The research study was moneyed by the Kone Foundation, the Academy of Finland and the Emil Aaltonen Foundation.
