Let’s find out how the love heart came to be, why it doesn’t look like a real human heart, and what ways exist to show a love heart gesture
A brief history of the love heart symbol
On the eve of Valentine’s Day, here and there you can see decorations in the form of a love heart of different sizes and colors. The love heart can be shown with gestures or added as an emoji in social media messages. It symbolizes support, love, approval, joy, care, respect and other positive emotions. Each person puts their own meaning into this symbol. But have you ever wondered why this symbol is called that and looks that way? After all, a love heart has very little in common with a real human heart.
Despite the existing romantic and fairy-tale theories about the origin of the love heart, its history is not so fantastic. Pierre Vinken and Martin Kemp are sure that this well-known symbol originates from the works of Galen and Aristotle. They both described the human heart as having three chambers with a small notch in the middle. Just imagine how ancient this symbol is! When medieval scientists and artists deciphered their works, they depicted this organ according to ancient descriptions. For example, in the 14th century, the Italian physicist Guido da Vigevano made several drawings of the heart that looked like Aristotle described it.
This image of the heart was firmly established in the literature of the Middle Ages. In addition, for a long time the human heart was perceived as a reflection of emotions, love and pleasure, so the symbol of the love heart was established in European culture and began to identify romance.
During the Renaissance, the symbol of the love heart became even more firmly entrenched in culture, as it began to be used in religious art, depicting the Sacred Heart of Christ, and also as one of the four suits in playing cards.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the love heart began to be used in love letters and Valentine’s Day messages.
Why are there so many gestures for love heart?
You may be surprised, but there are a huge number of ways to show a love heart. Different cultures and generations have their own ways.
For example, Millennials are used to making a love heart with their hands. Younger people use a completely different way to show the love heart, which may seem a little strange to us. It seems to be easier to do it with two people. Generation Z has also taken to making a love heart with two fingers, borrowing the gesture from Korean culture.
The Korean love heart is the simplest and cutest way to show your love. That’s why it’s loved by people of all ages around the world. Plus, you can make this gesture fun by pretending to take this mini love heart out of your pocket or bag. This gesture has become so widespread thanks to K-pop idols that constantly use it in photo shoots and events.
It is worth noting that in Korea, and therefore throughout the world, the cheek heart trend is gaining popularity. To show this type of love heart, you need to bend one hand in the shape of a half-heart and put it to your cheek, thus obtaining a complete symbol.
Use different ways to show a love heart to add variety to your social media photos and stay on trend.
