{"id":30976,"date":"2024-03-09T20:49:44","date_gmt":"2024-03-09T20:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mishajan.com\/?p=30976"},"modified":"2024-08-28T16:59:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T16:59:54","slug":"love-synthesizing-neuroscience-psychology-philosophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mishajan.com\/love-synthesizing-neuroscience-psychology-philosophy\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Love: Synthesizing Neuroscience, Psychology, & Philosophy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Key Philosophical Terms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Soul \u2192 transpersonal side, the source of the action<\/em> of love<\/p>\n\n\n\n Self \u2192 animalistic side, the source of desire <\/p>\n\n\n\n Vessel \u2192 body <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Soul vs The Self <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond the surface, there lies a thread that connects us all: love, specifically agape \u2014 a selfless form of love that embodies vicarious joy for another person’s happiness. All genuine acts of love share a few traits: they are unseen yet deeply felt, offering evidence of something transcendent within us. Why would one sacrifice their bread for their children if not for the awakening of a deeper aspect of their being, known as the soul\u2014a transpersonal reality within? It is evident that acts of love occur when our soul is permitted to be at the forefront, guiding our vessel (also known as the body). This contrasts with our animalistic side (physical self, which is referred to as \u2018self\u2019 in this paper), which perceives only the physical transaction: I give you bread, you give me bread. However, the soul knows: I give you bread, you grow, which in turn fills me up, allows for more of me to shine, and brings me a kind of baseline happiness that is incomparable to ephemeral worldly pleasures. In summary, the soul, a transpersonal entity, is the source of love, while the self, rooted in our physical and animalistic side, drives our desires. In any given moment, the amount of soul expressing itself through our vessel varies on a continuum which is described below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Source of Love<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To illustrate this idea, this paper will draw from neuroscience, psychology, and the film ’15 Reasons to Live’ which captures the various ways the soul manifests itself, threading through 15 distinct stories. The beauty of these 15 stories lies in transcending one’s self to act from the soul. It’s not that the self is bad or the soul superior, but maintaining a healthy balance between both is crucial, ensuring one doesn’t unconsciously dominate the other. Though a deeper exploration of this balance is beyond this paper’s scope, this paper focuses on describing what our soul is all about: love, which is the action of the soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Psychology-Based Visual <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To enhance clarity with a foundation in psychological theory, the subjective experiences from each story in the film are aligned with the continuum shown in Figure 1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n