What Is Love Essays (565 words) - Love, Emotions,

What Is Love? What is Love? What is this thing called love? This, not so simple, question begs for an answer. The symptoms of love are familiar enough. A drifting mooniness in one's behavior and thought; the fact that it seems as though the whole universe has rolled itself up into the person of the beloved, something so wonderful that no one on earth has ever felt about a fellow creature before. Love is ecstasy and torment, freedom, and slavery. Love makes the world go round. Until recently, scientists wanted nothing to do with love. It is life's most intense feeling. Anger and fear are emotions that have been researched in labs and can be quantified through measurements such as pulse and breathing rates, muscle contractions, etc. Love cannot be charted or measured. Anger and fear have a definite roll in human survival, love does not. And since it is possible for humans to mate and reproduce without love all the swooning and sighing is beside the point. Up until the past decade, scientists assumed that love was all in the head. Now research has become more intense. This may be because of the spreading of AIDS, and that casual sex carries mortal risks. Others point to the growing number of female scientists and suggest that they may be more willing then their male colleagues to take love seriously. Whatever the reason, science has come around to a view that romance is real. That it is bred into our biology. We have always been influenced by love in our culture. It is a dominant theme in music, television, films, novels and magazines. It is a commercial bliss. People will do or buy anything with a promise of romance. Does this imply that love is just a false emotion that we picked up after years of it being drilled into our head again and again by society? If romance was purely a figment, unsupported by any rational or sensible evidence, then surely most would be immune to it by now. But that has not happened. Love is still in the air . In 1992, anthropologists, William Jankowiak and Edward Fischer conducted a study. They found evidence of romantic love in at least 147 out of the 166 cultures studied. This discovery should be enough to wipe out the idea that love is an invention of the mind rather than a biological fact. Among the things that anthropologists tended to do in the past was ask questions about the courtship and marriage rituals. Weddings can have all the romance of corporate mergers, signed and sealed for the family or territorial interests. More and more scientists are coming to believe that love is truly a biological predisposition. That people are all scientifically fated to love by our genes and chemicals. Many people would just as soon too not want to know. No one knows exactly how to place this mysterious emotion. It comes in many shapes and forms and different people and cultures celebrate it in different ways. But perhaps it is better that we don not know the scientifics and just enjoy it. Why pull at such a beautiful and wonderful thing and try to pick it apart when to the beholder it is already virtually perfect? The more we try to delve into the puzzling depths of love, the more mysterious it is bound to appear.

Free Essays on Sibling Rivarly

The Love and Hate between Siblings: Sibling Rivalry One moment children can look like cherubs cuddling on a Christmas card. At other times when a parent turns their back- a full-scale brawl erupts between the siblings. â€Å"Mom, she’s in my room getting into things again!† â€Å"Dad, he won’t stop looking out my window!† â€Å"Me first! Me first!† So children don’t always get along. In fact, sometimes they seem to genuinely despise each other. Think back to childhood. How well did you get along with your siblings? As long as there are brothers and sisters there will be sibling rivalry. This doesn’t mean parents have to sit back and watch their children tourcher each other. The term ‘sibling’ refers to children who are related and living in the same family (Child Development Institute 1). It’s not strange to here the word sibling; however it is the word â€Å"rivalry† that catches society’s attention. The term â€Å"rivalry† is usua lly about something that one sibling has that the other sibling wants. Sibling rivalry has existed since the human race began. Think back to Biblical times and Joseph’s problems with his brothers (Child Development Institute 1). The Bible records the first murder case of sibling rivalry- Cain; the first-born was irrated at constantly having to help take care of his younger brother, Abel. The story of Cain and Abel had a tragic ending; Cain became so angry he killed Abel (Faull 88). Though sibling rivalry is an age-old obsession, surprisingly few formal studies have not probed the psychological impact of conflict between brothers and sisters; nor have they examined how parents arbitrate those disputes (Barovick 91). Many parents follow the popular lore: it’s best for the siblings to work it out for themselves. A study published in Development Psychology found that most parents follow the popular lore’ even the parents feel the popular is ineffective. Over the years... Free Essays on Sibling Rivarly Free Essays on Sibling Rivarly The Love and Hate between Siblings: Sibling Rivalry One moment children can look like cherubs cuddling on a Christmas card. At other times when a parent turns their back- a full-scale brawl erupts between the siblings. â€Å"Mom, she’s in my room getting into things again!† â€Å"Dad, he won’t stop looking out my window!† â€Å"Me first! Me first!† So children don’t always get along. In fact, sometimes they seem to genuinely despise each other. Think back to childhood. How well did you get along with your siblings? As long as there are brothers and sisters there will be sibling rivalry. This doesn’t mean parents have to sit back and watch their children tourcher each other. The term ‘sibling’ refers to children who are related and living in the same family (Child Development Institute 1). It’s not strange to here the word sibling; however it is the word â€Å"rivalry† that catches society’s attention. The term â€Å"rivalry† is usua lly about something that one sibling has that the other sibling wants. Sibling rivalry has existed since the human race began. Think back to Biblical times and Joseph’s problems with his brothers (Child Development Institute 1). The Bible records the first murder case of sibling rivalry- Cain; the first-born was irrated at constantly having to help take care of his younger brother, Abel. The story of Cain and Abel had a tragic ending; Cain became so angry he killed Abel (Faull 88). Though sibling rivalry is an age-old obsession, surprisingly few formal studies have not probed the psychological impact of conflict between brothers and sisters; nor have they examined how parents arbitrate those disputes (Barovick 91). Many parents follow the popular lore: it’s best for the siblings to work it out for themselves. A study published in Development Psychology found that most parents follow the popular lore’ even the parents feel the popular is ineffective. Over the years...

The Body In American Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Body In American Popular Culture - Essay Example Even as early as the beginning of the twentieth century, American culture has been concerned with the concept of the ‘body’, and in the need for physical exercise and fitness for both men and women (Winter, 1999, p.33). focusing on the body and the concept of masculinity. One of the important reasons for this development is the increased attention given to the male body by popular culture and the media. With the stress on desirable body images, there is increased premium placed on physical attractiveness for men, with the consequent need for men to invest in their appearance. Visual media in the form of advertising, film, magazines, folk tales, and other fields promote men’s increasing awareness of their bodily condition, encouraging them to pursue ideal conceptualizations of physical beauty. Wienke (1998) adds that vulnerability to the allure of the consumer market is also increased. To â€Å"enhance both the physical and symbolic value of men’s bodiesâ⠂¬  states Wienke (1998, p. 256), there is growing the availability of a range of exercise equipment, dietary supplements, and other products.