# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/21 "2010-07-18T06:24:52Z")
By that criterion, seven. My parents, siblings, last living grandparent and best friend. I think all of them love me back. I’m sure my family do, and would like to believe my friend does. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/22 "2010-07-18T07:17:16Z")
Zero, death is natural and doesn’t bother me. Actually, what bothers me about death, is I rarely know the right thing to say to someone when their friend or someone is sick or dying. So zero for the first part but I can probably get a few “I love you too” responses from people if I was to say I loved them too. Probably about 4 but possibly as much as 10. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/23 "2010-07-18T07:34:35Z")
Fourteen for sure. There are more on the cusp. I wish I had more room in my heart. Maybe that’s an odd way to feel. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/24 "2010-07-18T08:08:53Z")
40ish, about evenly split between friends and family. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/25 "2010-07-18T17:43:36Z")
Immediate family of four plus SO and his family of four, probably 7ish close friends, so 15 people or so. More than I thought when I read the thread title. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/26 "2010-07-18T17:45:36Z")
I don’t like the criterion. I love my immediate family (4 persons) and my cat. ---
**Author:** ![Gustav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Gustav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gustav)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/27 "2010-07-18T19:06:06Z")
Zero and… probably 5-6 the other way. Suckers. ---
**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 18, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/28 "2010-07-18T19:12:38Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > I don’t like the criterion. I love my immediate family (4 persons) and my cat. Why don’t you like the criterion? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/29 "2010-07-18T19:15:42Z")
There are about five people that I’d say that I love, just as a disclaimer. Under the criteria provided by the OP, there are probably about a dozen- maybe a few more than that. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/30 "2010-07-18T20:05:13Z")
By the criteria of the OP, some number in the middling two figures. But I’d only say I love my father, my brother and my two nieces. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/31 "2010-07-18T20:56:09Z")
Well, quite a lot by your definition. But the next day, well, dead’s dead and a hundred large is still a big wad of cash, so then you’re getting down to immediate family. And my sister can be a pain sometimes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/32 "2010-07-18T23:16:25Z")
4 - my brother, two of my closest girl friends, and my ex-boyfriend. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/33 "2010-07-19T03:14:29Z")
> [@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? Five. And all five would love me back. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/34 "2010-07-19T03:42:19Z")
I’ll rough in at around two dozen. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/35 "2010-07-19T20:21:07Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Why don’t you like the criterion? Because a day when one of my friends dies is still a horrible day no matter what else happens. However I don’t feel I love them. I guess I should also say that it wouldn’t be as miserable a day if my cat died and I won 100K. Animals die and it happens. Yet I still have a very strong love for my cat - I just feel happier around her, like I’m glowing, like my heart is going to explode with love. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/36 "2010-07-19T20:32:36Z")
Around 15, both ways. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/37 "2010-07-19T20:38:13Z")
The death of anyone I know would devastate me, and no amount of money would change that. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/38 "2010-07-19T21:24:55Z")
Yeah, I’ll have to agree with the folks who say they don’t agree with the criterion. I know a lot of people who, if they died, I’d consider it a horrible day even if I won $100,000. This includes my cats. But to fit the spirit rather than the letter of the criterion–I’ll say three. My spouse and my parents. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/39 "2010-07-19T21:32:22Z")
I’m going with 10 (Mom, Dad, Grandma, sister, 2 friends, husband, 2 kids and my cat). I am sure at least 8 of those love me back. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980/40 "2010-07-20T14:03:34Z")
Seven. And only two of them are relatives (my parents); the rest are my SO and other closest friends. I wouldn’t go trading aunts and uncles and cousins for a hundred grand each, but if it was completely unrelated and guilt-free, I’d probably be made happy enough by the money that I’d call it a weird or remarkable day rather than an awful one. I have easily two or three dozen friends - some of whom I only see a few times a year - that are closer to me than any of my living non-parent relatives. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-persons-would-you-say-you-love/546980.md?page=3)