What do you think, Is "love" equal to "physical relationship" only in now a days?

Well, No.

The only reason it seems so is because of increased portrayal of physical relationships in popular media (in addition to the more base and vulgar descriptions in a lot of American Black music of the past 25 years), and exploitation of people’s sexuality in commercialism/consumerism, via marketing.

Love means many things and certainly is not defined only within a “physical” relationship. You can get physical and not be anywhere near in love.

Only if you are talking about loving food. Very physical there. As for loving another human being, that goes far beyond physical whether we are talking “now a days” or “yesterdays”.

Absolutely not. Anyone who thinks love equates to sex has obviously never experienced love.

Definitely not. The first 4½ years of our relationship was without sex (due to her medical conditions). We were as deeply in love as any couple could be. While I don’t advocate platonic relationships, love and sex can be two very separate things.

No.Not even close.

Despite the veritable tusnami of media equation of sex with love, most people over the age of 14 still understand that the two are separate, though closely intertwined.

Love is a comepletely separate thing from sexuality. There are all kinds of love.

There is love for your friends.

There is love for your family.

Then there is romantic love, which does have a sexual component, but sex is not even the main part of it.

@marinelife ditto your remarks!

Nope. Who told you that one?

Quite the opposite. Lots of people engage in casual sexual liaisons, with the understanding that no romantic relationship will develop.

Hell no. We just have a skewed perception of what love is because of the media and Hollywood. And we accept the term “love” for something that is not.
Hell, the first time people meet on these dating shows they kiss. No wonder people don’t seem to know what love is. The word gets tossed around like water.

Sex without love, I imagine, would be kind of passionless and technical. Almost like a competition. If the people engaging in this kind of sex think they love each other—and perhaps some do—then I think they are quite lost. It’s very sad.

People have been blaming the myths perpetrated by the media, but I think the media reflect things already in society. Some societies, like in the US, are growing increasingly isolated. Our wealth allows us all to live on our own little islands. We don’t have to rub shoulders with others every day any more.

Of course, relationship skills are atrophying and far too many people don’t know how to love. They turn to sex as a simulation of love, hoping to find love—emotional intimacy—eventually, but at least physical intimacy for now.

Were it not for so many people thinking that relationships are private matters only to be handled by parents, we could teach relationship skills in schools. Some schools do teach these things, but it is so controversial because it is about values in addition to practical skills. Not everyone shares the same values.

Notice how many relationship questions we get here? For every one we get, who knows how many more there are out there? There is a hunger, perhaps even a desperation to understand how to build truly intimate relationships with others. Young people have got the short end of the stick, I think. That this question can even be asked is an indictment of our culture.

@wundayatta Sex without love happens far too often, and what is labeled “love” is no more than the chemicals secreted by the brain for the first six months of a physical attraction.
The desire and need for love remain, and because we turn to what we incorrectly believe to be love, that desire remains unsatisfied and unfulfilled, and the cycle continues…

@Trillian I agree.

I’m a little unclear on this question, as far as what “physical relationship” is implying. If it means sex, then certainly not. You don’t have to have sex to be in love, some people simply have no interest in it or don’t want to do it til they’re married. So whatever, that’s their choice and obviously doesn’t mean that they are incapable of loving because of it. On the other hand if you mean “physical relationship” as being together which each other physically rather than living in two different states, countries, or maybe even only knowing each other through the internet, then I think love becomes a lot harder that way. I think long distance relationships are possible and work out successfully sometimes, but as far as trying to be in love with someone you have never met in person, I simply don’t see how that can work.

Is isn’t now or in the past.