Liking and loving are two of the most common feelings experienced by people around the world.
However, whether you love someone or just like them, although it seems similar, are two completely different things.
Although the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they do not lead to the same implications. Both love and liking represent acceptance, but beyond the intertwining similarities there are serious differences between the two emotions.
Namely, love is basically a strong feeling that manifests itself in sincere and caring affection for another and represents a deep and lasting connection to someone or something. On the other hand, liking is when someone or something is attractive to you, that feeling of satisfaction you have when you are with someone.
1. Love is more complicated than liking
While love is complex, liking is a simple and certain feeling of attraction that is always crystal clear, i.e. you can easily highlight something you like and to what extent. It is a settled feeling, unlike love.
Sometimes it takes time to find love, especially if it's romantic love. It can be complicated, and sometimes it doesn't make sense, and it can even be unreasonable. In addition, love is accompanied by a series of events.
And also, when you love someone, you do almost anything, but when you just like someone, then it's only about physical attraction and as such it's not worth crossing certain personal boundaries.
2. Love is unconditional, liking is conditional
While love is always unconditional, liking is not. In love, you love someone or something for no particular reason. When it comes to the feeling of being liked, then there is a reason why you are particularly admired.
You might like someone because of physical attributes, abstract characteristics of that person, and for any number of other reasons.
However, it is true that liking can strengthen love even more. Love will always be unconditional, although it is possible that its intensity may decrease.
3. Love implies long-term commitment
When someone declares their love for another person, it suggests that they are committed for the long term and that they have gone beyond mere physical attraction. When there is love, there was and will be liking.
This does not mean that love cannot turn into hate or even cease to exist, but simply implies that love always tends to last longer than liking which is built into existing attributes that attract you. And when those attributes that led to the existence of liking cease to exist, liking also disappears.
4. Liking is built into physical attraction, while love is not
Love is obviously "deeper", and the declaration of love is far "harder" than the declaration that you like someone. This is precisely why people sometimes prefer to use the expression "I like" as an introduction to a conversation about love and as a test of the possible reaction that will come from the person to whom love is expressed.
If you are unsure of someone's reaction and feel the need to declare your love, it might be easier to start by admitting that you like them. Especially since liking can lead to love and maintain existing love.
So, physical and abstract attractions - can lead to love.
5. Liking is characteristic of love, but it is not always the other way around
Where there is love, there is also a lot of liking, because it implies any interest in something or someone. Of course, you cannot love what you do not like and are not interested in.
On the other hand, liking is able to survive independently, that is, it can exist in the absence of love. So that, although liking is inherent in love, there is no love without liking, but liking can exist without love.
6. Liking is about pleasure, and love is more than that
Liking is a feeling and fulfillment of pleasure towards someone or something, while love also refers to responsibility and sacrifice. More precisely, love comes with a mixture of pain and pleasure, while liking is apparently only about pleasure. When you like something, you admire it, you want that something to become yours and to use it. Love, however, is not possessive.
7. Love is about what you feel
While love is about what you feel, liking is about what you see. Love is not completely governed by physical and abstract attributes, but is a natural feeling of acceptance and responsibility, which has some elements of permanence.
Liking, on the other hand, is driven by physical and abstract attributes that a person admires in another person. Therefore, when someone is satisfied with physical and abstract attributes, and that is enough for him, this is then interpreted as a feeling of liking.
8. Love is gradual, liking is instant
Love can come from accumulated liking. And as mentioned before, love is complex, which can make it difficult for a person to determine what they really feel, especially when it comes to a romantic relationship. What is certain is that love does not appear suddenly, but develops, establishes, nurtures and is required to be maintained.
On the other hand, liking can be short-lived. He knows that it only lasts as long as the attraction is still pleasant and present. And you don't need much time to find out what it is - simply say what you like at first glance about the person who attracts you.
9. Love endures distance and time, liking does not
While love can withstand distance and time, liking cannot. Distance, quite simply, is never an obstacle when it comes to love.
Love is also not bound by time, that is, rather - it is timeless.
However, the reverse is true when liking is considered. Liking is not sustainable, it can be broken over time and distance affects this emotion and how it affects it.
10. Love is intense and passionate
While love is intense and passionate, liking is looser and easier. Love can be intense and passionate in the sense that it manifests a strong and excessive degree of liking, it is persistent, enthusiastic, burning, sustainable and irresistible.
Liking, however, can have similar attributes, but not as enhanced as love.
In addition, liking can easily lead to a couple breaking up, while love is more sustainable due to its much deeper feelings
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