I love you too

One phrase that I hear on a daily basis is "I love you." The difficulty in analyzing this phrase lies in its numerous contexts; we hear it from friends, family, and significant others, each time with a different meaning.

The first example is when a friend says, "I love you." Usually, they say this when you do a favor for them or something else that they approve of. For example, after lending a tie to a friend who needed clothes for a psyche, she left me a note saying, "Thank you! You're the best! I LOVE YOU." In this case, the argument is one of appreciation. By saying "I love you" the friend is arguing that they appreciate you and/or your actions. In this situation, it's not necessarily a sign of permanent attachment, but rather a short term connection. It's interesting that this phrase is used to convey a message of appreciation, because that appreciation also argues that they no longer need to repay you for whatever you did. Friends rarely ever say, "Thanks for the sandwich! I'll bring the money I owe you tomorrow. I love you!" If they do, you're probably not going to get any of that money. Why not? Because saying "I love you" messes with the human brain, so that you already feel like something is being done for you even if they're not actually doing anything for you.

Friends can also say "I love you" when they're trying to support you while you're going through a rough time. In this case, the phrase is arguing that the speaker deeply cares about you and that they are there to support you. This example is much more heartfelt than the first example, and has a much more noticeable effect. This is a lot like the way a family member would use the phrase. When your parents or siblings say "I love you" they're usually trying to assure you that they are there to support you and to convince you that someone cares about you even if you don't think so.

Lastly, there's the case in which a significant other says "I love you." This can have the most meaning, and the biggest argument. In this example, the argument is that they will do anything for you, they care deeply about you, and they will never do anything to hurt you. It also argues that they feel attached to you, and they expect you to feel the same way. Usually when people use this phrase in this case, they say all the things associated with it, but it's just as effective to simply say, "I love you." This use is also tricky because it carries baggage with it. Using this phrase in this situation usually implies that they want you to reciprocate the phrase--and the feelings of attachment argued by it.

The English language is very strange in the way that it has one word -- love -- to mean several different things. Because of the many meanings behind the word, the different ways in which "I love you" is used can portray very different feelings and make very different arguments.