by Matthew J. Geiger

Created on: September 26, 2009

The concept of love is often difficult to define as the word describes a wide range of emotions and relationships. For some, saying I love you is a challenge, notably for a lot of men, while others throw the phrase around as though it is a greeting. Sometimes, it is important to tell someone he or she is loved while using the word to manipulate a situation is no good. In all, saying, I love you can be said too much if the gesture is near meaningless or used mechanically.

Family members are often expected to causally use the love word while the same is true for most people in romantic relationships. There is a kind of peer pressure to use affectionate language even when the feelings are not present. Regrettably, mechanical repetition can be problematic when these feelings disappear altogether or we use gestures to cover up how we really feel. Desensitization can truly cheapen our relationships and emotions when we neglect to appreciate the meaning of our love.

On the other hand, this is certainly not to say people should hide from the love word. Language helps us communicate our thoughts and feeling, so it is important for ourselves, as well as those around us, to verbalize how we feel. People, who tend to be visually unaffectionate or withdrawn, often take for granted the fact that their loved ones know they are loved. Only when someone they love is gone from their lives, do they realize what saying I love you at the right moment would have meant.

Then again, saying I love you, when it is meant, can be very difficult no matter how frivolously the word is thrown about at other times. This is especially true for new romances or seemingly cold relationships; in these situations, there can be too much anxiety over when to say it and how the other person will react. Unfortunately, this can make the expression of a legitimate feeling into an irrational fear of commitment or awkwardness.

Saying I love you is pointless and loses meaning when it is mechanically recited as a formality. When this is the case, the word is being said far too much; however, if it is used continuously by someone who feels love for the recipient, then it certainly is appropriate. For those who love, yet fail to verbalize the emotion, it is said far too little. In all, if someone feels love, then he or she should say it.

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