is hate a stronger emotion than love?

Answer 1

Hmm...

Frequency and intensity... Sadly, I can only draw on personal experience, so my perspective is quite deviant from the rest of the world's. I think the individual's answer lies in their experiences of the world.

Let's experiment with our imagination. One day I wake up, and am a god. I have the power to destroy the world in the blink of an eye, or the power to let people live their lives how they please - for this experiment it's either/or NO shades of gray.

If hate is "stronger" than love, I'd want to destroy the world for all the destable things that I've experienced from other people. If love is "stronger" I'd let the world continue.

Amazingly, I think I'd let the world survive. So I'd have to say love > hate.

Answer 2

Most emotions we feel at a certain level on a daily basis. Only occasionally do we experience the maximum amount or effect of that emotion.

Comparing the level of love we feel most of the time, to the level of hate we feel most of the time, I think love is the stronger emotion. It keeps us civil toward strangers and prevents hate from taking over.

But when comparing maximum strength, I think hate is the stronger of the two. Hate can make a person kill others, or even strap on a bomb and sacrifice himself to kill others.

Love is an emotion that makes us feel content, and this tends to have a mollifying effect on our actions. Hate, OTOH, more often spurs us to action, and when it is strong enough to overcome the love that normally restrains us, violence usually ensues. Fortunately, this level of hate is the exception, not the rule.

Answer 3

Love is stronger, but there seems to be more hate in the world.

Answer 4

I wouldn't say stronger but definately up there in power. I believe that love will conquer all. If it didn't then what could we possibly have to hope for? Love is at the heart of my faith.

Answer 5

Hate and Love are balanced and interchangeable.

Whichever one you accept will be the strongest.
Whichever one you deny, will be beyond comprehension.

Neither is stronger than the other.

Answer 6

Of couse not. Love is a gift from God. It is the most powerful emotion/weapon/way of life. I know hate lasts longer, but it is extremely fragile. Think about it, the tiniest bit of love or laughter can cheer you up if you are having bad day. Philosophically, Love is essentially the equivalent to God. And hate is the lack of God. Since God can conquer all hate or evil, then love can do the same. So be loving to your neighbor, it may cheer them up. Please help me spread the love.

Answer 7

In the past I used to think they were complemetary equal, but now I believe love is much more stronger than hate. There is so much humanity has done for love, than for hate.

Answer 8

Don't think about emotions as containing any level of power. The individual has an emotional "capacity." The individual has an experience and an emotional response based on, among other things, their capacity. I'm sure you see this capacity in your friends, and their individual expressions of that capacity. A guideline/rule of thumb is that someone who can love deeply, can be angry deeply. Passionate people are passionate, and disconnected people are disconnected.

Answer 9

How could it be, it being just the lust for power, that is the ability to make someone suffer. While love, on the other hand, takes myriad form. There is duty; justice; discipline; self sacrifice and so many facets of love that it would be impossible to list them all here.

Answer 10

of course it is stronger because hatred leads to destruction. but I think that hatred is scarcer than love as I do not remember to have hated somebody whereas I did love several times and I still do love several people.