Scientifically it is a chemical reaction in response to sensory input, designed to further the species.
Intellectually, it is a state of mind, of being, wherein you are bound to another by attraction to traits you find appealing.
Emotionally, it is like a memorable experience yet intangible, and inescapable, long lasting, so long as the experience continues as it is.
Spiritually, it is the bonding of two souls, to a common life, purpose and destiny.
Socially, it is like a cup of corn syrup, dumped on your head, or a puppy froliking on a fluffy blanket, a shiney sticker stuck to your forehead.
Practically, it is all of the above, sustained by a lot of work to maintain it.
So what then do we do about it?
Accept it, as it is one of the cornerstones of human experience, a gift from God, and an event and force much like gravity, constant if only just, and misunderstood just as easily.
Reject it, as the distraction, waste of effort, like a black hole of resources and time, it may well in fact be.
Love is, given freely, and can never be forced, bartered for or extorted from another, for in that, it becomes a fraud frail counterfeit of itself, when not mistaken for something else.
When freely given ,and freely accepted, it becomes the most deserving of things, an ideal worthy of praise and enjoyment, but when it is a counterfeit, it poisons and erodes even the best of ideals, until it becomes a weapon in the hands of one who does not wish to accept it, deserving or not, but then, you can only accept the love you think you deserve... so it makes sense to reject what you want if you don't think you deserve it, or are afraid to admit you don't know how to reciprocate it.
