What’s love got to do with it? Exploring social love and public health

Abstract

IntroductIonrelationships of all types are central to our lives and to our mental and physical health. 1 Love is an important concept in modern society, yet the popular use of the term 'love' does not capture the full breadth of its meaning. when one hears the word love, the mind naturally goes to romantic relationships. This presents a challenge, as the single term is used to convey several complex meanings: familial love, friendship love, parental love, spiritual love, strong individual and/or collective caring and nurturing actions towards others, and strong feelings towards objects and pastimes. The catch-all nature of the term 'love' is one of the primary reasons its use is often avoided by scientific, evidence-based professions, who develop their own ways of referring to the concept. 2-6 These include using related but distinct concepts like belonging, kindness, connection, and attachment, instead of using the term love. By taking care to avoid confusion with romantic love, we, as public health professionals, are missing an opportunity to explore the impact of a concept that could be important in our practice, and in the impact that we can make in society. in this article, we explore how the concept of love may align with, enhance, and improve public health decision making and service delivery.