Love 2.0
Prepare yourself for an upgraded definition of our supreme emotion, love. Author, Barbara L. Fredrickson, Phd., is an American professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Principal Investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab (PEPLab) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Fredrickson blows open the door to love.
First, she ushers in science based evidence, which proves how love, and its absence, can change your biochemistry and set yourself on a pathway toward health, happiness and wisdom.
Second, she widens the definition of love to an inclusive one that describes it as a
"micro-moment of warmth and connection that you share with another living being".
This blows me away. After struggling with the description of Namaste Connections, rewording it to describe how I feel it, Barabara Fredrickson nails it with Love 2.0.
Love, the way your body experiences it, is connection.
"It's that poignant stretching of your heart that you feel when you gaze into a newborn's eyes for the first time or share a farewell hug with a dear friend. It's even the fondness and sense of shared purpose you might unexpectedly feel with a group of strangers who've come together to marvel at a hatching of sea turtles or cheer at a football game."
It's recognizing and honoring the light of the soul in other human beings.
What's exciting about this version of love is that it isn't limited to intimate relationships. It opens up the possibilities for everyone to experience love and benefit from its positive effects.
Read to Discover
Love 2.0, the Upgraded Version
The Biology and Science of Love
Love's Ripple Effect
Practices of Love Connection
Love 2.0 - The Upgraded Version
In the upgraded version of love you are encouraged to make a radical shift in your thinking about Love as you may know it. You won't find it's meaning in the typical love songs or even in the love you feel for your partner and family members. This new definition captures the meaning of love as your body experiences it, through connections.
"To put it in a nutshell, love is the momentary upwelling of three tightly interwoven events: first, a sharing of one or more positive emotions between you and another; second, a synchrony between your and the other person's biochemistry and behaviors; and third, a reflected motive to invest in each other's well-being that bring mutual care."
This approach encompasses your potential for loving and growth, as well as your ability to create moments that nurture love and growth in others and the generations to come. This wider vision expands your mindset and you become more aware of other's needs. It increases your creativity and builds wisdom. When you experience this type of love, your brain expands with each positive moment and you become more knowledgable, resilient, socially integrated and healthier.
Love 2.0 is best experienced when you are tuned to the present moment, where you are aware of your body's sensations and the actions and reactions of others. This means stepping away from your to-do list, technology television, etc. to increase the possibility of a positive shared experience.
The Biology and Science of Love
Micro-moments of love are created by and result in changes in three main biological components: your brain, oxytocin and your vagus nerve. When you are fully engaged with someone in a postive interaction,"neural coupling" or brain sychronization occurs. Oxytocin or the "love hormone" increases, which in turn creates more trust. Finally, and possibly the most interesting, is an increase in vagal tone.
"The vagus nerve, also called the tenth cranial nerve, "emerges from your brain stem deep within your skull and, although it makes multiple stops at your various internal organs, perhaps most significantly it connects your brain to your heart."
Science shows that people with a high vagal tone have physical, mental and social agility. They are resilient; regulating their internal bodily process more efficiently, like their glucose levels and inflammation.
Love's Ripple Effect
Once a Love 2.0 connection is made, the door of perception opens. Separate individuals start seeing things as we and us. This connection can start with just a smile. Your desire to make it happen is the most important factor. When you make love your prevailing desire,
"you remake whole domains of your life. You become appreciably and enduringly different, and better. You uplift others, helping them become different and better as well".
Practices of Love Connection
The second part of Love 2.0 is filled with exercises that are sure to make your heart grow and tone up your vagus nerve. Not surprisingly, she mentions Loving Kindness meditation, which you can find on this site. She also has several super practical micro-moment practices to optimize your love. I'll feature a few in additional posts.
May you continue to create micro-moments of Love 2.0 in your life! Remember,
"just as a steady diet of a wide range of fresh fruits and vegtable does indeed make you healthier, so does a steady diet of a wide range of loving moments!"