"We all desire to be loved. We only fully flourish when we are loved. Being loved affirms our goodness as human persons. Our search for love shapes so many of our actions and pursuits. Some have even suggested that all of our reasons for action arise from love, and that all of our various emotions and passions are ultimately grounded in love."
"In spite of this universal desire for love, the topic is strangely absent from most academic work, and certainly largely absent from any discussions of social policy. There is a discrepancy between the centrality of love in our personal lives and its comparative absence in our public discourse. If we are to promote human flourishing adequately, we should seek to close this divide and to better promote love."
Love affirms human goodness and is essential for full human flourishing. The search for love shapes many actions, and some think all reasons for action and all emotions are grounded in love. Despite universal desire, love is largely absent from academic work and social policy, creating a discrepancy between its personal centrality and public neglect. Research indicates multiple empirical streams link love to human flourishing. Love contains unitive and contributory components: seeking union with the beloved and seeking the beloved’s good for its own sake. Policy initiatives could intentionally promote love to enhance human flourishing, tapping underutilized potential.
Read at Psychology Today
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