On the evening of October 17, Prof. Yu Feng from the School of Philosophy of WHU gave a lecture on love psychology, which became a hot topic on campus.

The classroom is crammed with students

Using the theory of love psychology, Prof. Yu presented an analysis of the idea of “love”. First, to answer the basic question of “what is love”, he introduced different types of love, including eros (passionate love), ludus (playful love), storge (companionate love), pragma (pragmatic love), mania (fanatic love), and agape (selfless love). Then, he illustrated the question of “why do we love” by explaining the principle of interpersonal attraction. Next came the highlight of the lecture. Prof. Yu gave some suggestions on “how to love”. He provided some clues for students to judge if their love is true, “If you are nervous and want to behave well when you are with him/her, and you feel lonely and long to share many things when you are not with him/her, then maybe you have really fallen in love.” Then Prof. Yu offered some interesting techniques about how to attract the one you have a crush on. Tips like “touch the upper arm for 2 seconds” and “pay attention to your body’s scent ” ignited students’ passion for love psychology. Finally, he shared some tips on how to keep away from a toxic relationship, “Recognise and stay away from the pick-up artist (PUA), and keep effective communication with your partner when facing contradictions.”

Prof. Yu during the lecture

Prof. Yu is the director of the Chinese Association of Social Psychology. He graduated from the Department of Psychology of Tsinghua University and spent time at the University of California, Berkeley as a visiting scholar. Specialising in love psychology, he believes that love is motivated by emotion; it is delicate but also very important. “Few young students can do empirical research on love, so I consider it important to hold this lecture to help them know more about themselves, others, relationships and love.” He also agrees that it is necessary to offer a professional course on positive psychology, helping students adjust their moods, manage a healthy relationship and live positively. “Knowledge of psychology can be applied to life. It can help us live a more meaningful life.” Prof. Yu added.

Students trying to get a peek through the window

The classroom was too small to contain the audience’s passion. Some students even sat on the windows while others huddled by the door because there were no seats left. Afterwards, it quickly became clear that this spectacular event was regarded in terms of “Nothing can stop WHUers from chasing love”.

Photo by WHU College Student Mental Health Association & Ziqiang Studio

Edited by Li Hefeng, Qin Zehao & Liang Tong