“True love is cleaning the broiler pan.” I heard my dad say this line countless times throughout my childhood. Our broiler pan was always a greasy mess after meat was cooked on it, and his quip underscored the verb form of love—being willing to do something for another person.

There are many meanings attached to the word “love.” Psychologist Robert Sternberg’s triangular theory of love describes passionate love, intimate love, and committed love. M. Scott Peck defined love as “the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s growth” in his bestselling book The Road Less Traveled.

There’s an informal theory of love that’s captured in the pink and red hearts and roses of Valentine’s Day, with an emphasis on flowers and feelings. Our........

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