What is LOVE?

Since this is Valentine's Day, I thought I would bring up the question of love.
I've heard many definitions of what people think love is and would like to hear your opinion.

sorce: pixabay.com CC0

Resurrected from an old forum of mine:
Some people say that love is unconditional. If that were true, then why is it that we can love someone and then fall out of love? For instance: (1.) A parent loves a child, but when that child grows up and displeases the parent, the parent disowns the child. (2.) A couple is madly in love; they get married; then a few years later they go through a bitter divorce. Clearly, in both cases, love existed, and then it did not. This is definitely not unconditional, otherwise the love would continue forever. Would you say that in the above examples, there really was no love there in the first place? Is it possible that parents can give birth to and raise a child, believing the whole time that they love this child but in actual fact do not? Given the exploding number of divorces in North America, are you telling me that there is hardly any true love any more?

Could it be that love is in fact just an emotional response to validation? For example: From the time a child is old enough to interact with its parents, the child’s primary goal is to obtain acceptance from his or her parents. The child wants attention, and will do all sorts of things to get it. If results are obtained from positive behaviors, the child will likely continue to strive to behave in a way that pleases its parents. If, however, the child does not get attention from positive behaviors, the child will start experimenting with negative behaviors. That usually gets a reaction, and any reaction from the child’s parents is better than none! This quest for attention is in fact a quest to be recognized, or validated, and it is a need that never seems to go away, even as an adult. Even the parent wants something from the child. The parent finds importance, or validation from the fact that the child is totally dependent on the parent. This dependence fulfills the parent’s need for validation, and gives the parent a warm and cozy feeling. That feeling is the emotional bond to the child. As the child grows and becomes more independent, the bonds of dependence (love) must be replaced by something else. This is usually accomplished by a continued good relationship such as that between a spouse or good friend. If the relationship becomes soured, then the validation is gone, and the love dies.

So, can this ‘chemistry’ that is so often referred to in a relationship in fact be just a combination of physical attraction and an emotional reaction to being validated by another person? When someone makes you feel ‘special’ you feel that you are important to that person, and that validates your existence. That emotional connection binds you in what we call love.

When the conditions that make you feel validated are removed or missing, the emotional bonds are broken, and love dies.

In consideration of the above, what is love?

I sincerely thank you for your interest!