Introduction
In this expository essay I will explores whether love may be measured. I cover some of the possible variables that are involved and go on to conclude the ideas and evidence explored.
Essay Body
Can it be measured in deeds?
The idea that one could measure love via their deeds is plausible. There are people that dramatically shorten their life so that they may donate organs to family members, and there are people that risk their lives and even die for those they love. Still, the motivation for a deed is never as clear cut as being just one thing/reason. For example, a person may give up an organ to an older family member as an act of love, but it may also be culture based, guilt based, a gesture of gratitude or a gesture of respect.
Can it be measured by the feelings of the other person?
The feelings of the person being loved are probably the most skewered. Their interpretation of the other person is completely subjective and personal. This is proved by the fact that some people think their favorite celebrities are doing things for them. There are plenty of people that feel the powerful words of Marshal Mathers are actually speaking to them directly. Even prime ministers and presidents receive communications from people that think the presidents/prime ministers are acting due to feeling they have for the person writing the communication (even though neither party has met in person).
Can it be quantified with questions and testing?
This is a highly tested theory because love is said to have an effect on verisimilitude of a person’s answers when being questioned. As a result, many people have tested to see if love may be quantified via any form of test, and as of yet the results have been too unreliable to be genuinely useful to anyone.
The love chemical
Biochemically, love is no different to eating large quantities of chocolate. There is a chemical our bodies produce that create the feeling of love. In this sense, can it be measured in the same way alcohol may be measured in the blood? Scientific evidence says yes it can, however, if you ascribe to the idea that love is part of a psychological process, then chemicals merely affect it and do not control it or its permanence/resilience. In this way it may be likened to the taking of morphine, as this releases endorphins that affect happiness and contentedness.
Conclusion
It seems that love is so subjective that its actual existence cannot be measured. Biochemically it is no different to eating large quantities of chocolate, and in conclusion it seems that love created biochemically or drug-induced love is different the feelings of love a person feels naturally. As a result, the biochemical form of love may be measured, but it seems that the physiologically induced feeling of love cannot be measured. There is evidence that a person may be able to rate the amount of love they feel, but it is so subjective and open to so many variables that it would be impossible to correctly quantify in scientific terms.
