What is love?

Love.  Everyone wants its.  In media that's all they seem to talk about about, so why is it that no one can ever come to an exact definition of what it really is.

There are four types of love.  Romantic, fatous, companionate, and consummate love.  Romantic love is when there is intimacy, the feeling of being connected or bonded to another, and passion, the intense longing for someone.  Fatous love is when there is passion and commitment but there is a lack of that intamacy.  Companionate love is intimacy and commitment which is the love more common with friends.  However the best and most rounded love there is, is consummate love which includes all three.  

So why does it seem that it can at times be so hard for us to find that love that we are longing for.  One reason is the unrealistic expectations of a fairy tale love.  You can't just expect your Prince Charming to come knocking on your door and for it to work happily ever after.  It's something that you have to work for and you need to put yourself in situation where you can be asked out on dates.  

There a few factors that come into play when choosing someone who could possibly be the next person you date.  The first is propinquity.  This includes all those who live near or close to you.  When there is that closeness there are more things in common such as culture, shared interest, friends and so forth.  Another factor that is a major factor is physical appearance, whether that be how someone dresses, to their actual physique.  Next would personal traits, this is someone's personality, if they have the same sense of humor, or have the same value and beliefs as you.  

So what?  What's the importance of knowing all of this.  In this way you can better analyze where you are right now and determine what must be done in order to make that step forward.  So where you right now?  What do you need to do?