Love is one of the most demanding emotions, but almost everyone desires it. Love may be a singular word with a powerful meaning, but it manifests in so many different ways. Here are eight types of love that you’ll encounter at least once in your life. Which type of love are you experiencing right now?

1. Empty Love

This type of love is one of the hardest for people to escape, but it’s so easy to fall into. You feel like something is always missing and need another person’s actions, emotions, and affection to fill the void. However, a friend won’t cut it — you need a new lover.

Sadly, these relationships usually involve a chaotic teeter-totter effect. You feel like you are on cloud nine one moment, then you find yourself spiraling the next. You don’t know how long you can stay with your partner.

The truth is that you don’t really love them – you just love what they can do for you. Quit while you’re ahead.

2. Pulse Love

Similarly to empty love, pulse love lives off of adrenaline. When you’re in “pulse love,” your actions are more sporadic and you feel carefree because of how quickly your love life is moving. 

Pulse Love can be effective as long as you meet someone who wants the same things as you do. Eventually, though, you’ll need to slow down and commit.

Finding someone you can explore with can eventually lead to a long, stable relationship, but for now, you need to reevaluate your old desires. Our perspective on love changes as time goes on.

3. Lonely Love

Lonely love is unrequited, and it can be painful. You care for someone, love them, and want to be with them, but you simply can’t. Loving someone who doesn’t love you the same way is beyond frustrating.

However, don’t let this type of love consume you. Withholding your body, mind, and time for that person can be detrimental to your other relationships. Realizing that you can’t love this person is ultimately best for you. Love yourself before showering this person with care again.

4. Manipulative Love

Manipulative love involves condescending behavior, “he-said, she-said,” and strict, unreasonable rules. People in manipulative relationships often forget how to be themselves and feel more like objects than human beings.

How do you know when you’re the manipulator? If you often force your opinions or habits on your partner without considering their perspective, then you might be manipulating your partner. If you feel controlling, step back and learn that your partner can’t change everything for you.

5. Unbalanced Love

Unbalanced love can be tricky to escape unscathed because it’s devastating if you can’t resolve it. Unbalanced love can make you feel more like a parental figure instead of a lover because of how much you give in the relationship.

When you feel like you’re giving more than your partner is, discuss your feelings with your significant other. Hiding your feelings can make you act in petty ways in order to validate the skewed relationship. If you don’t get your feelings out in the open, you might explode at your partner.

6. Platonic Love

We all have that one person whom we love more than our own family. The love isn’t sexual, but it’s stronger than any other. Platonic love is one of the most rewarding types of love because you genuinely adore someone’s entire being.

This relationship isn’t just for your high school bestie — it can be for a co-worker, sister-in-law, or cousin. After all, platonic love is personal and transparent, and it makes you into the best version of yourself.

7. Passionate Love

Passionate love isn’t just for romance novels. This type of love is fun and engaging – but not just in the bedroom.

The ability to see romance as a turn-on is one of the most eye-opening experiences. Everything, from cooking together to cuddling during a movie to enjoying nature as a couple feels effortlessly romantic. If you feel excited to spend quality time with your partner no matter where you are, you’re deep in passionate love.

8. True Love

We all want true love, but it doesn’t come easily. You and your partner have to communicate and stay faithful in order to cultivate highly personal true love. True love isn’t one-sided, impulsive or manipulative it’s everlasting because it’s based on mutual understanding. 

No matter what, you’re bound to experience these eight types of love throughout your life. Know which types of love you need, and work on honesty, trust, and communication in order to make your love blossom!