While there are existing similarities between both platonic and romantic forms of love and relationships, they differ greatly regarding the intensity of emotions involved, physical interactions as well as objectives for the future.
It is therefore important to know what differentiates such relationships so that you can decide if your feelings tend towards long-lasting companionship or vibrant togetherness. So without much further ado let’s get into details to know which is which.
What is Platonic Love?
Platonic love is a type of love that comprises a strong regard for someone that does not involve any form of sexual desire or romantic feelings and it includes aspects like trust, respect, and emotional closeness among companions. We can say it involves heartfelt connection and care.
The term had its origin from the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato who saw it as the most superior form of love because it wasn’t prompted by the desire for bodily relations or selfishness but rather by pure concern and genuine care for somebody’s happiness and morality.
What is Romantic Love?
Romantic love is a strong, deep, and sensitive bond with somebody, marked by attachment, desire, and commitment. It is usually experienced as intimate moments filled with excitement, tenderness, and yearning that come from emotional contexts wherein physical or sexual attraction plays a part.
This type of affection is mostly connected with marriage partners or potential spouses and is considered to be a life-changing event.
How do they differ?
Love which is romantic and platonic differs in their basic incentives, emotions, and expressions. Romantic love is the desire for emotional closeness and physical attraction, attachment, and partnership commitment. It is all about thrilling feelings like passion and possessiveness.
On the other hand, platonic love comes from deep-rooted affection, veneration as well as appreciation of an individual’s character traits, ideals, and personal attributes. Friendship is what it portrays best along with companionship or common interests.
Here are some areas where they diverge:
1. Level of intimacy. Physical and emotional intimacy are involved in romantic relationships, whereas platonic relationships do not have or require any such intimacy.
2. Motivation: Attachment or lust powers romantic relationships while sympathy coupled with esteem drives platonic ones.
3. Expression: There are lots of ways to express romantic feelings like love gestures or affectionate moments but platonic ones encompass support for each other in various activities.
Romantic love is faithful and requires a spouse, while platonic love allows for many partners such as family, friends, or colleagues
Signs of Platonic Relationships
Here are nine healthy indicators of non-sexual relationships, in other words, platonic relationships. They include:
1. No sexual or romantic attraction. There is no longing or anticipation for a love affair.
2. Friendship is the main thing. They put emphasis on creating a friendship that is loving and strong.
3. Mutual respect and trust. They regard one another’s ideas, moods, and boundaries.
4. Emotional support and motivation. They aim to provide inspiration, support, and comfort to themselves to make personal growth possible.
5. Sharing common interests and activities. They share common hobbies, interests, or passions that connect them.
6. Comfortable silence and space. They are okay with remaining silent together without feeling any need to talk all the time.
7. No jealousy or possessiveness. Other people’s relationships or friends do not cause them fear.
8. Open and honest communication. They express their opinions as well as feelings without being afraid of judgment.
9. Priority on supporting each other’s happiness. They do everything possible to promote the well-being in life goals of both parties involved.
How to Keep a Platonic Relationship
In the case of platonic bonds, there is a need for communication understood by all parties concerned, this includes respect between partners and respecting boundaries. Now and then ask yourself if both sides are okay with each other’s side of things to be sure there are no issues.
Be encouraging and truthful in your dealings with the other party. Allow the other person their own space and have some things that you both enjoy as interests or beliefs of life that are common to the two of you. It could be a hobby, skill, or anything that both of you can get involved in.
A lot depends on faithfulness; if there are any worries then talk about them before they become a problem in the long run. Maintaining a balance among these things is how people can continue having a healthy non-sexually romantic friendship for longer than expected.
What if I don’t want the Relationship to be Platonic?
If there’s someone you’re in a platonic relationship with that you want to be romantically involved with then you should handle it with caution and honesty. Firstly, ensure that your emotions are not just an infatuation but rather sincere feelings for them.
Understand that you might be risking your friendship if the other party does not feel the same way towards you. If you decide to proceed, make sure to respect their personal space and identify possible results like rejection or changes associated with such relationships.
In this process, it is important to engage in direct communication, mutual regard as well as emotional understanding with the person you want to get romantic with. More so, limit acknowledging that both people must agree about getting into a love affair.
Wrap Up
Finally, it might be concluded that these two types of love or relationships (platonic and romantic) are entirely different in nature. To prevent any kind of misunderstanding in a relationship between two people one should know what they mean to each other.
In platonic love, there is no sexual attraction or even desire attached but rather it is a bond based on friendship while in romantic love there should be some degree of attraction both sexually and emotionally as well as the need for commitment from both partners.
Note: Recognizing the differences between the two types of love (platonic & romantic) enhances the ability to create meaningful relationships that are healthy and strongly rooted in love.
