What's the difference between "lust" and "love"?

Question

Is lust a prerequisite to true love? And where does infatuation fit in?

Answer 1

I think you can use these defenitions to figure out what each of these mean to you. Some people can have a very satisfying sexual relationship that is based upon sex and sex alone without ever loving each other.
Some people become infatuated with the other sex or the same sex and wish for the way they feel to be the way the other person feels about them.
Love to me is a mixture of both of these things, but very balanced.

LUST
Lust is any intense desire or craving, usually sexual, although it is also common to speak of a "lust for life" or a "lust for power" or other goals.

As a sexual term, lust implies a sexual desire in and of itself, an erotic arousal and wish, or intense physical or sexual attraction or craving. In this sense, it is considered a vice by Christianity, and is listed as one of the seven deadly sins of Catholicism and its related denominations. Kam, a concept in Sikhism often translated as lust, is similarly included as one of the Five Evils. The Greek word which translates as lust is επιθυμια (epithumia), which also is translated as covet.

Some people see lust as the purest form of love.[citation needed] This viewpoint argues that being a pure emotional wish, based upon physical attraction, frees lust from the constraints of emotional baggage (or negative inner conceptual responses), and respects it for what it is, the direct emotional inner instinct and desire of one person, to carnally know and be intimate with another. [citation needed]

On the other hand, many people acknowledge that feelings of lust do not always imply feelings of love, and they make a strong distinction between the terms lust and love. Love has many definitions, but it is general the word implies a concern for the well-being of the other person as well as carring a more "pure" connotation (See Love for more details), whereas lust in the average person is often more a product of their own libidinal urge than it is a product of a desire for the well-being of the objects of lust, although the two can certainly co-exist. Others consider lust ultimately incompatible with, or unrelated to, love. Some people believe lust is the selfish form or selfish perversion of love, and that love is completely selfless. Some denominations of Christianity believe that receiving or desiring to receive any form of pleasure from any sexual activities is an act of selfishness and lust.

The aspect of lust as an inappropriate desire has led to its metaphorical extended use in other forms of desire to signify overwhelming desire or craving, such as a lust for power, success, or recognition. It has also been used in the sense of intense eagerness or enthusiasm, such as a lust for life.

LOVE
Love is a profound feeling of tender affection for or intense attraction to another. It is considered a deep, ineffable feeling shared in passionate or intimate interpersonal relationships. However, in different contexts, the word love has a variety of related but distinct meanings: in addition to romantic love, which is characterized by a mix of emotional and sexual desire, other forms include platonic love, religious love, familial love, and the more casual application of the term to anyone or anything that one considers strongly pleasurable, enjoyable, or desirable, including activities and foods. This diverse range of meanings in a single word is commonly contrasted with the plurality of Greek words for love, reflecting the word's versatility and complexity.

Although clearly and consistently defining love is a difficult task, and often a subject of much debate, different aspects of the word can be clarified by determining what isn't "love". As a general expression of positive sentiment (a stronger form of like), love is commonly contrasted with hate (or neutral apathy); as a less sexual and more "pure" form of romantic attachment, love is commonly contrasted with lust; and as an interpersonal relationship with romantic overtones, love is commonly contrasted with friendship, though other definitions of the word love may be applied to close friendships in certain contexts.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOVE
Types
Agape - the term was used by the early Christians (Greek to be specific, as the word is of Greek origin) to refer to the special love for God and God's love for humanity
Courtly love – a late medieval conventionalized code prescribing certain conduct and emotions for ladies and their lovers
Erotic love (eros) – affection characterized by sexual desires
Familial love – affection brokered through kinship connections, intertwined with concepts of attachment and bonding
Free love – sexual relations according to choice and unrestricted by marriage
Philia - used in the New Testament, philia is a human response to something that is found to be delightful. Also known as "brotherly love"
Platonic love – a close relationship in which sexual desire is non-existent or has been suppressed or sublimated
Puppy love – romantic affection that is not "mature" or not "true." The term is often used with negative connotations, insinuating that love between youngsters is less genuine or valuable
Religious love – devotion to one's deity or theology
Romantic love – affection characterized by a mix of emotional intimacy and sexual desire
True love – love without condition, motive or attachment. Loving someone just because they are themselves, not their actions or beliefs in particular. Also referred to as unconditional love.
Unrequited love – affection and desire not reciprocated or returned
Lust-love - affection characterized by lust, caring about the desired one for a short amount of time, in other words, semi-true love
Instantaneous love - Love that occours the instant that one person comes in contact with another and feels a deep connection or attraction to the other. Also known as "love at first sight" and refered to commonly in many fairy tales and folk lore and literature.
Sacrificial love - the act of sacrificing one's life, or something of great importance, solely on the basis of love.

INFATUATION OR LIMERENCE
Limerence is an involuntary cognitive and emotional state characterized primarily by intrusive thinking, longing for reciprocation, and sensitivity to external events that signify uncertainty on the one hand, and hope of reciprocation on the other. It can be experienced as intense joy or as extreme despair, depending on the perceived behavior of the "limerent object," the person whose returned feeling is desired.

Such terms that imply only brief durations, such as "having a crush," "infatuation," "passionate love," or "puppy love" do not refer to limerence, which often endures for many months or years. Limerence is also distinct in its focus on a single individual and its predictable responsiveness to external events.

It is important to note that limerence is not love in the sense of concern for the other’s well-being, nor is it mere sexual attraction. It has been contended that love, sexual attraction, and limerence can all exist for the same person, although the obtained data is not clear on this matter.

Limerence begins as a barely perceptible feeling of increased interest in a particular person, known as the limerent object, but one which, if nurtured by appropriate conditions, can grow to enormous intensity. In most cases it also declines, eventually to zero or to a low level. At this low level, limerence is either transformed through reciprocation or it is transferred to another person who then becomes the new limerent object. Under the best of conditions the waning of limerence through mutuality is accompanied by the growth of the emotional response more suitably described as love.

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Answer 2

Lust and infatuation are basically the same thing, with lust being more intense. Love is unconditional acceptance of another individual just as they are, and a willingness to put their best interests above your own.

Answer 3

With love, you like the person a lot no matter what. With lust, you just want to get into his/her pants and that's it.

Answer 4

lust is about getting some and love is about caring for that person without any of that physical stuff really.

Answer 5

If you have to ask or if you think lust has one anything remotely to do with love then you won't even be able to comprehend the answer to your own question.

Answer 6

Lust is what you want for the moment and Love is what you want for ever.

Answer 7

Lust is just want to sex you up,love is trust,commitment,sharing ,caring,giving,spending a life time together.Not just a few minutes of humping.

Answer 8

lust is like empty stomach needing food.
Ur organs react in similar way too.
While love is pure and divine.

Answer 9

lust is when you have sex and dont want to hold her after, love is when you dont have to even have sex as long as you are near her

Answer 10

Lol...Infatuation...lust....and getting laid are kind of all mixed up in there together somewhere..................

Answer 11

I could wright a book about it when your in love you know it oh trust me you just know it!