# How many persons would you say you love? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980 "2010-07-17T01:17:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/1 "2010-07-17T01:17:28Z")
For purposes of this thread, you may consider that you love someone if the following is true: If you found out that the person died, and then, within the hour, that you had won a $100,000 lottery jackpot, you would still consider it an awful lday. By that criterion, how many persons would you say you love? How many of them would you say love you back, by the same standard? ETA: Please restrict yourself to living persons you actually know; fictional characters are likewise disqualified. Abby Scuito cannot count; neither can Paul Newman. Pauley Perrette only counts you could walk up to her and have her recognize you without prompting. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/2 "2010-07-17T01:29:16Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > For purposes of this thread, you may consider that you love someone if the following is true: If you found out that the person died, and then, within the hour, that you had won a $100,000 lottery jackpot, you would still consider it an awful lday. > > By that criterion, how many persons would you say you love? How many of them would you say love you back, by the same standard? The love part would be at least 10 but I doubt more than 15. The “return” part I never considered. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/3 "2010-07-17T03:31:21Z")
Seventeen people definitely, with another five or so on the cusp. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/4 "2010-07-17T04:02:02Z")
Two. My brother and my boyfriend. Used to be four, but my parents have both died. (And I’m pretty sure those are also the same people who would also love me back). Quality over quantity, I say. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/5 "2010-07-17T04:09:27Z")
Me too - two. DH and one friend. All anyone needs, I think. And these are both reciprocated. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/6 "2010-07-17T04:18:58Z")
By that criterion? Around 30 plus. I have a pretty big extended family; my mother, siblings, their spouses, children and grandchildren; my first cousins; probably about a half dozen of my closest friends. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/7 "2010-07-17T04:24:29Z")
3 to both questions. I like and care about many more than that, but I can only truly say I love 3 people. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/8 "2010-07-17T04:26:31Z")
Wife, my family, her family, a handful of genuinely close friends. I’m guessing a couple of dozen people more or less. ---
**Author:** ![Anomie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4491bb/32.png) [@Anomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anomie)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/9 "2010-07-17T04:34:15Z")
Zero and two. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/10 "2010-07-17T04:49:14Z")
Truely love—seven, with daHubby being #1. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/11 "2010-07-17T04:56:38Z")
I think this thread will show clearly those who are close to our extended family and those who aren’t. I grew up surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Hence my answer of 17. If you didn’t experience that, I can understand why your numbers would be much smalller – like the several people who gave answers of 2 or 3. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/12 "2010-07-17T13:50:05Z")
Around 25 in both directions. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/13 "2010-07-17T13:57:11Z")
4: Daughter, wife, parents. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/14 "2010-07-17T14:54:11Z")
6,697,254,041? ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/15 "2010-07-17T15:36:50Z")
I don’t like the criteria. There are a lot of people that I don’t love, but would give up $100,000 to keep alive- like my brother in law or my step father. I’d keep them alive because I wouldn’t want to hurt their spouses, whom I do love. But my “love” list: Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, Nephew, Girlfriend. So 6. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/16 "2010-07-17T15:50:26Z")
7 - all family. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/17 "2010-07-17T16:05:17Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > I think this thread will show clearly those who are close to our extended family and those who aren’t. I grew up surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Hence my answer of 17. If you didn’t experience that, I can understand why your numbers would be much smalller – like the several people who gave answers of 2 or 3. Not necessarily; only 4 of mine are family or “family-in-law”. We have a very tight and extended family so I’ve sort of grown up getting used to their deaths. The deaths of friends close enough to love is another thing. Although as I age that is getting easier to take as well. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/18 "2010-07-17T16:12:33Z")
That criteria doesn’t quite work for me, either, as the answer would be in the 100s. But, if I change it to who I would give up the money to get them back alive and well, I get as few as 5, all family. Return would be actually higher. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/19 "2010-07-17T16:26:47Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I don’t like the criteria. There are a lot of people that I don’t love, but would give up $100,000 to keep alive- like my brother in law or my step father. I’d keep them alive because I wouldn’t want to hurt their spouses, whom I do love. > > But my “love” list: > Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, Nephew, Girlfriend. > > So 6. **Chessic Sense** , this isn’t one of my silly hypotheticals. Nowhere did I write that winning the $100,000 had anything to do with the person’s death. I wrote that the knowlege of the person’s death was sufficiently devastating that winning a small fortune did not improve the day. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/20 "2010-07-17T16:57:32Z")
Zero and zero. \ On the flip side the only person I hate is that stupid cat (ok he’s not a person but…) who looks in my window at night (I have a basement AKA Garden, apartment) and then stares at me. But when I go out and try to pet him he’s all like “Ew stay away from, me.” Like I’m not good enough to pet him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980.md?page=2)