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Hey kids! My name is Amanda, but call me Manders. I'm a psychology/neuroscience/biology student. Throw me questions and I'll throw you an answer. :)

advice

Whats the different between lust and love? How do you know if youre just "lusting" someone?

I'm glad you asked this question, actually. So many people (usually teenagers) confuse the two words.

Lust is, in a nutshell, physical attraction. An example is if you're walking down the street and you see someone really, really good-looking. You turn to your friend and say, "Wow, that guy/girl is really hot!" One night stands and random hook-ups are almost always based on lust.

Love is the strongest emotion a person can feel or express. A lot of people say that it's impossible to explain, in words, what love feels like and what it does to a person. I'll try to explain it.
Love is caring for someone, inside and out. While lust is entirely superficial, love is the opposite. Of course, you can be physically attracted to someone and still love them, but love is more than that. It means knowing someone, the good and the bad, and accepting and caring for them. A lot of people who are in love would lay down their lives for that loved one.

I don't know if you're a Christian or not, and I'm not trying to shove any Christian beliefs down your throat or anything, but the verses from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 describe love pretty well; a lot better than I can. Here they are:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails."

Just because you aren't in love with someone, doesn't mean that you're "lusting" for them. You can like someone, personality and all, but not love them or JUST be "lusting" for them. Chances are, you'll like most of the people you date, but you won't fall in love with all of them.

Love is stronger than lust. For instance, imagine there are two people in a fire: One of them was very good-looking, and the other was your boyfriend/girlfriend of a year. (You didn't specify your gender, so I don't know which one you would have.) Which would you save first: the lover, or the hot guy/girl?
That's just a way of distinguishing the two emotions, and to show you the strength of true love.

I hope I helped, and if you have any more questions, feel free to leave one in my inbox!
-Manders

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(Rating: 5) Oh my goodness, thank you so much!! really..that was def. the best answer! :]
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