Therefore, he is often seen as moody, bipolar, … Adults wilk not die without love. I could completely relate to the fact that receiving love and generosity is harder to deal with. Findings show that babies who are deprived contact comfort, particularly during the first six months after they are born, grow up to be psychologically damaged. (And How to Be a More Generous Person), 20 Quotations on Generosity: A Profound Act of Kindness. Anyway, I'm on the anonymous posters side that...as adults..."being loved" is no longer a requisite to a happy life. All of us have an intense desire to be loved and nurtured. The most egoistic people are the ones who receive more attention and " love". As echoed in Mother Teresa's famous quote, it is more important to do small things with great love than to do great things with little love. It is the desire to love and take care of others that underlies the phenomenon of “cute aggression.” Cute aggression refers to the tendency to pinch, hug, or otherwise express love for others—particularly cute babies, kittens or puppies—in ways that mildly hurt or cause discomfort to the object of our affection. (E.g., you could isolate them and feed them with milk bottles and they would survive--like the monkey babies in Harlow's experiments did.) Why are so many people drawn to conspiracy theories in times of crisis? Olfaction Is a Primal Motivator. Maybe the answer has to do with the messages we are routinely exposed to, from our care-takers and the media. Findings show that babies who are deprived contact comfort, particularly during the first six months after they are born, grow up to be psychologically damaged. Olfaction Is a Primal Motivator. Another group, in contrast, simply wore goofy costumes and stood on street corners and jumped around while holding a "smiley" placard. I too find it fascinating that a number of long-standing spiritual principles are being supported by new scientific evidence. And hanging out with generous and compassionate people is, for obvious reasons, more happiness-enhancing than hanging out with self-centered and materialistic people. This could be as a result of: Your upbringing; A bad past experience; Or an unrelated unmet need in your life etc. We want to feel like we play an important role, whether in an organization, family, or life of another. To derive a boost in happiness levels through generosity, however, it is not enough to recognize the link between the need to love and happiness; it is important to explicitly exhibit generosity—or “giftivism,” as Nipun Mehta calls it. Expressing love or compassion for others benefits not just the recipient of affection, but also the person who delivers it. I could completely relate to the fact that receiving love and generosity is harder to deal with. Or though they may not die, they will for sure either/suffer/get depressed/etc. Adults do not "need" love. Because your need for love can be coming from MORE than one place. For the final project in the class that I teach, I urge my students to think of a creative way in which they can bring joy and happiness to complete strangers. Thanks for this great article. In fact, being generous need not involve the expenditure of any resources. I cared about old people, young nieces, and others. In the surveys that I have conducted, people rate “having healthy relationships” as one of their top goals—on par with the goal of “leading a happy and fulfilling life.”. Depending on the place where your particular need for love is coming from, it may be that your psychological needs are not balanced. Or pay for the person standing in line at the coffee shop. My question, however, is that why is Love so necessary? I too find it fascinating that a number of long-standing spiritual principles are being supported by new scientific evidence. Thanks for bringing attention to this, Robert! I remember hearing that there were circumstances of death occurred due to the baby losing appetite and no longer eating. Everyone needs love nacceptance, even pets. But how does one bring oneself to act in generous ways? Then, share your experiences of perpetrating a simple and random act of generosity with us. And what’s more, it appears that even small acts of kindness generate just as much happiness as do lofty acts. Second, in a phenomenon known as homophily, when you are generous, chances are, you will attract others who are similarly generous to you. Then, share your experiences of perpetrating a simple and random act of generosity with us. Otherwise, however, and having to do with more of the essence of what it is to be a human being, they darn sure can wither away. When I stress the importance of being generous to boost happiness levels with my students, most of them feel that they are not yet ready to be generous: they feel that they need to achieve greater wealth and success first before they can start being generous. Participants in both groups were then asked to either spend the money on themselves or on others.