History of the Heart as a Symbol of Love. 

There are a number of different symbols that are associated with Valentine’s Day and love, but out of all the various symbols and images none are more prominent during the holiday season than the heart. In fact, no matter how hard you could try it would be impossible not to see the various symbolic images of hearts on display during Valentine’s Day. Boxes of chocolate are shapes in the form of a heart. A number of Valentine’s Day greeting cards are formed in the shape of a heart. There are an untold multitude of decorations that are shaped like hearts that are prominently displayed. Yes, the heart is the most common image associated with love. This, of course, brings about the often less frequently examined question “How did the heart become the common symbol of love?” 

In more primitive times, people believed that the heart was the center of all human emotions. (They also believed that the brain served no actual purpose and, in some cases, they were 100% correct) Part of the reason for this is that the heart is found in the center of the chest and this is, in essence, the epicenter of the human torso and must be the origination point of human actions. As such, all emotions derive from this epicenter. Since love is considered the most powerful of all emotions and the heart is where emotions originate, the heart became symbolic of strong love. Again, this is a primitive assessment that has obviously been discarded as societies evolved and became more enlightened. The symbolism of the heart, however, has not been lost over the ages. 

Also, an act of love is considered an act of charity. So, when you are giving love you are giving a piece of your heart. The heart is also the organ most associated with life and death as death is generally defined as when your heart stops beating. As such, giving your heart – even symbolically – is considered an extremely selfless act as you are literally giving away a piece of your very life source to the one you care about. 

Of course, there is also the issue of the heart being colored red. A real human heart, of course, is not colored bright red and this makes one wonder how the color became so associated with the heart. Part of the reason is the fact that the heart pumps blood and blood is red. Blood was considered the body’s life force and the heart is the source of the flow of this power. Red was also associated with passion and since the heart is the epicenter of emotions it is not surprising that the heart and the color red are uniquely linked together. 

The heart is a powerful visual image because it is linked with a powerful emotion. Of course, the emotion is question is the emotion of love and if there ever was an emotion that it is right to have strong emotions towards it would be the emotion of love. , yet they knew one thing for sure that the heart was the center of all feelings. This ancient belief has lingered on through the ages.