It is the season of love and Valentine’s Day is approaching. Those with significant others scramble to concoct wildly romantic dates and surprises for their lovers, but where does that leave those without a partner?
Valentine’s Day is often seen as not worth celebrating or pointless for those not in a relationship, but the holiday is absolutely worth celebrating whether or not you have a significant other.
Valentine’s Day celebrates love as a whole, not only romantic love. The only reason it is centered on romance is because many people believe that romantic love is stronger than platonic love. However, this is completely false. Platonic love, such as the kind between family members, has been proven to be incredibly powerful.
According to Harvard Medical School, love is so addicting due to the release of dopamine, a feel-good chemical, that inspires you to go looking for the sensation again. Both platonic and romantic love are psychologically rewarding. The difference between the two forms is that romantic love also stimulates the amygdala, the brain’s fear center, which creates the adrenaline you feel when you have a crush on someone.
Crushing on someone can cause “levels of the stress hormone cortisol to increase” and “serotonin becomes depleted.” Often, early stages of love can be obsessive and maddening. However these nerve-wracking side effects fade with time, leaving only dopamine’s trace behind and making it much more similar to platonic love. Romantic love is platonic love with added anxiety and passion, for better or worse.
This holiday should be spent honoring romance and all forms of love in your life. “I think that Valentine’s Day celebrates the people you love. It usually means romantic love, but it’s also important to let your family know you love them,” Richard Montgomery High School junior Julie Grossman said.
Some even have Valentine’s Day traditions, whether that be with family, friends, or partners. “I think the holiday celebrates friendships and family as much as romantic love. My family has a special dinner to celebrate each year and it’s a great tradition,” Richard Montgomery junior Amara Sheikh said.
For those who don’t have a partner, Grossman recommends celebrating Galentines. “I have a boyfriend this year for the first time, but last year I did Galentines with my friends. We all brought snacks and watched romance movies. It was great. I mean boys can celebrate Broentines,” Grossman said.
According to Walter Johnson High School senior Sam Romeso, everyone should celebrate Valentine’s Day because there is free candy and it is a way to appreciate those in your life. “Single people usually don’t celebrate Valentine’s, but people and teachers give you candy no matter your relationship status so that’s pretty much celebrating. Also, it’s just nice to have an excuse to hang out with your friends and eat a lot of candy,” Romeso said.
However, some single people remain critical of the holiday. “It’s a terrible holiday. We don’t need to celebrate when people are in love every single day. It’s nothing special. The holiday is just for my romantic love so I just stay at home and watch a movie to remind me of how much I hate love,” Richard Montgomery junior Grace Andrianjafitrimo said.
It isn’t compulsory to observe Valentine’s Day, but any day that lifts people’s spirits and brings more love to the world is important. “I’m really excited for Valentine’s, especially since it’s my first time celebrating while in a relationship. My boyfriend said he’s planning something for me, but he won’t tell me what,” Grossman said.
Romeso also has plans for the holiday. “I have a girlfriend of two years so we’ve done this before, but she’s great. We’re going to have dinner and then after that we’ll watch a romcom since she loves those. We’re both getting each other gifts. I think people forget that guys also deserve to get Valentine’s Day gifts,” he said.
Written by Madeline Springer of Richard Montgomery High School
Photo by Avery Wang of Richard Montgomery High School