Humans logo

The Difference Between Love and Lust

Yes, there's a difference between love and lust, but what's the difference?

By Margaret MinnicksPublished 10 months ago Updated 10 months ago 3 min read
The Difference Between Love and Lust
Photo by Oziel Gómez on Unsplash

Love and lust are defined as two strong emotions. While they are different, they still have some characteristics in common. Often, a person can experience one or both separately, and sometimes a person can experience both in the same relationship, according to Healthline.com.

The main difference between love and lust is that love encompasses a deeper emotional connection, care, and commitment. Lust, on the other hand, is primarily driven by physical attraction and sexual desire, often lacking a deep emotional bond.

Love: Definition

Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states. Love is one of the strongest emotions a person can have and one of the most misunderstood.

Love is the theme of many songs, poems, books, and movies. There are more quotations about love than about lust. Even though lust is not painted as a beautiful picture as love, it also exists, and many people have been involved in that lifestyle.

  • Well-Known Love Song: What the World Needs Now Is Love, the 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach
  • Classic Love Poem: How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
  • Famous Book About Love: The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm
  • Favorite Movies About Love: Love is a Many-Splendored Thing and To Sir, With Love starring Sidney Poitier
  • Familiar Love Quote: "Love means never having to say you're sorry" from Erich Segal's novel Love Story that was popularized by its 1970 film starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal
  • Well-known Quote About Love: "’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem In Memoriam

Love: Characteristics

A major characteristic of love is that it wants the good of another. Love wants the best for someone as a whole. People who are in love have a deeper commitment to one another.

By Shaira Dela Peña on Unsplash

Love involves a deeper emotional connection and desire to know someone on a personal level, whereas lust may not go beyond the physical.

Lust: Definition

Lust is defined as a state of overwhelming physical attraction to another person. A major characteristic of lust is that it only wants something for itself, without the consideration of others. Lust focuses mainly on physical pleasure without a deep commitment.

About Love and Lust

Love and lust are different, but they do have some things in common.

  • Love is sometimes sexual, while lust is always sexual.
  • Love is emotionally driven, and lust is physically driven.
  • Both love and lust are accompanied by a spiritual connection.
  • Both love and lust are accompanied by sexual and physical connections.
  • Love can be experienced with or without lust, and lust can be experienced with or without love, and both can be experienced in the same relationship.
  • Love involves a broader range of feelings, including affection, respect, and care, while lust is primarily focused on physical attraction and sexual pleasure.
  • Love tends to grow and deepen over time, while lust can fade quickly once the initial physical attraction wears off.
  • A relationship can start with lust being the main ingredient, but lust can develop into love over time.
  • The goal of love is for a relationship to last, and when it doesn't, people are hurt, heartbroken, and disappointed. People in a lustful relationship might not be heartbroken if and when the relationship ends.

Comments Are Welcomed!

Feel free to share your views about love and lust.

love

About the Creator

Margaret Minnicks

Margaret Minnicks has a bachelor's degree in English. She is an ordained minister with two master's degrees in theology and Christian education. She has been an online writer for over 15 years. Thanks for reading and sending TIPS her way.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2026 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.