Love and friendship are among the most substantial and beautiful feelings. These two feelings are quite similar yet different in their ways.
There has always been a lot of confusion between love and friendship because it is said that “where there is friendship, there is love.”
Key Takeaways
- Love is an intense emotion characterized by romantic feelings, physical attraction, and a deep emotional connection with another person.
- Friendship is a close relationship between two or more people who share common interests, values, and experiences and provide emotional support, companionship, and loyalty.
- While love involves a romantic and sexual relationship, friendship is a platonic and non-sexual relationship based on mutual respect, trust, and understanding.
Love vs. Friendship
Love is a deep affection and emotional attachment to another person, often involving physical and romantic attraction. Friendship is a close relationship based on mutual respect, trust, and common interests.
Love is a feeling of personal attraction for another person. On the other hand, friendship does not involve such interest. It is a state of being friends with someone.
Love is a type of feeling. There would probably be no clear definition of love; it is meant to be felt. It involved a profound sense of attachment as well as attraction.
It is the basis of relationships between friends, family, and partners. However, it can be a very confusing feeling sometimes.
On the other hand, friendship describes the state of being friends with someone. It is the most loyal and comforting feeling.
There is a genuine commitment between people in a friendship. It always has a sense of mutual trust, concern, love, etc.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Love | Friendship |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Love is a time of feeling, a romantic relationship between people. | Friendship is the state of being friends with someone. |
| Type of feeling | Romantic | Non- romantic |
| Relationship | For love, a relationship between two people is not necessary. | For love, a relationship between two people is necessary. |
| No. of people | Two people. | More than two people. |
| Famous quotes | “Where there is love, there is life” – Mahatma Gandhi. | “A real friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” – Walter Winchel |
What is Love?
Love is a feeling. There would probably be no clear definition of love. Since it is a feeling, it is meant to be felt. Love is so hard to define because there are various forms of it.
There is love between parents and children, siblings, friends, spouses, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, etc.
Love is the basis of relationships between friends, family, and partners. The feeling of love and the maintenance of this requires natural trust, compassion, respect, and a sense of protection and acknowledgment toward each other.
Love is like an attachment between friends and family and a personal attraction in a romantic relationship with a partner.
It can be quite confusing since friends can be lovers, and overs can be friends too.
No matter how much we try to define it or put science in it, ultimately, it is a beautiful feeling that is meant to be felt once Nicholas Sparks said: “Love is like a wind, u can’t see it, but u can feel it.
What is Friendship?
Friendship is a relationship with various feelings between two or more friends.
Everybody has their meaning and perception of friendship.
Some people make another person their best friend just moments after meeting them. At the same time, some people take a lot of time even to consider another person as a friend.
In a friendship, there is a natural commitment between two or more people.
The friends have a sense of mutual trust, compassion, concern, and sharing of opinions, hobbies, or other interests.
Maintaining a friendship with someone throughout life is tricky, as our interests, hobbies, and lifestyle tend to change as we age.
Some friendships begin young, while others begin later in life. It is the most loyal and committed feeling person can have.
It is probably the purest and most satisfying relationship in life, and it also involves the feeling of admiration, respect, and love. It is said that every love story begins with friendship.
Main Differences Between Love and Friendship
- Friendship is a relationship between two or more people, whereas love is a romantic relationship between only two people.
- Love is a feeling of personal attraction towards another person wherein two people need not be in a relationship. On the other hand, we cannot call any person a friend without the foundation of a relationship.
- There are various forms of love, and it can be directed towards a friend, family, spouse, etc. friendship; however, it is the establishment of multiple types of relationships.
- Love in the term of romantic love is restricted to two people. In contrast, friendship does not involve any such restrictions. It may involve more than two people.
- Friendship is idealistic, not physical or sexual, whereas romantic love involves a sexual or physical relationship.
- Love involves a more profound sense of attachment and also an attraction. Friendship, however, does not include such deep feelings.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=nTCMc9a7S7sC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Love+and+Friendship&ots=wQfCGFndgv&sig=MQtcrnNRPW3JfUsHOdrzhjpkQng
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1983-09388-001
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
