Health Shots InFocus: LOVE IS.... Complicated!

By - Radhika Bhirani

"What is love?" I asked Google. Every search result gave me different definitions - an intense feeling of deep affection, feeling secure, a feeling and emotion, both positive and negative, and complex! I asked some Gen-Zs the same question, and the response was "Sab bakwaas hai!"

Welcome to the Valentine's Day edition of HealthShots InFocus, your weekly dose of health and wellness. As the world celebrates the beautiful emotion of love on this day, one can't deny how much more complicated modern love has become. It may not be right to generalize, but it is true - the dynamics, attitudes and practices in contemporary society make the concept of love feel very different.

A casual chat with friends on "aaj kal ke relationships" gave me a window into the whys and hows of the way youngsters are managing their 'love storiyaan'! One friend conjectures that even though digital connectivity has transformed the way people connect and communicate through dating apps, social media, and online platforms, it has its set of challenges. This has sort of offset the idea of long-term, committed relationships. Dating apps have given fuel to the casual dating and hookup culture, which has made the youth believe that it is best to explore various relationships before settling for "the one".

Another friend reasoned, "I think it is more to do with how people want to retain their individualism and independence, which are good to have. Nobody wants to compromise." The other friend chided in: "Oh yes, and equality!"

We had a hearty laugh and that was the end of the discussion. But it sparked thoughts in my head about both the good and bad of modern relationships. On one hand, there's heightened awareness that mutual respect, understanding and shared responsibilities are the only way forward for long-term bonds. On the other hand, relationships are more fluid than ever before. There is much more to modern love than marriage. There are live-ins, open relationships, polyamory and what not. Couple that with the ever-evolving glossary of Gen-Z dating terms, and you know just how complicated love has become.

Hopeless romantics would, of course, argue that the unadulterated "ishq waala love" exists. I want to believe that too. But like always, to each his own. As long as love continues to give you butterflies in the stomach, something is being done right!