Reciprocity and Love

Photo by Everton Vila on Unsplash

Why do people whose love has not been reciprocated feel as if they were cheated out of something they deserve?

Maybe it’s because most people view love as something that is given to others, and the fact that they did not receive something of equal emotional value makes them feel that the deeply ingrained rule of reciprocity has been violated – hence the feeling of being a fool.

But the person who feels that their love requires no requital because the act of loving is its own reward never feels that way.

Only people who see love in transactional terms feel like fools when their love is not reciprocated. It seems that Nemesis is still around to punish those who commit hubris towards Love.