It's Valentine's Day, the annual Holiday of Love, sponsored by the jewelers, florists and confectioneers of America. But love is such an ambiguous and overused word. We love our spouse, our kids, our family, our friends and our pets. We say we love spring, jazz, hockey or pizza.
Is love unique to humans? Does the lioness that risks her life for her cubs or the mother elephant who refuses to abandon her dead calf feel love? Does the faithful dog love his master? Most biologists would argue that these are purely instinctual behaviors.
So what is human love? The religiously-minded say that love is spiritual, that it eminates from God. The pure scientist proclaims that it is a product of genes and brain chemistry, arguing that romantic love is nature's way of ensuring the survival of our species. On the other hand, behavioral psychologists point out that we must love ourselves before we can love others and that deficient nurturing in early childhood may leave one incapable of accepting or expressing love.
It seems that love is a unique and multi-faceted human trait. We may not understand the nature of love but we know it when we feel it.
