What is the difference between loving someone and caring a lot about someone?

I'm so confused. Romantically, what is the difference between loving a person and caring a lot about a person? How can a person care so much and like a girl so much but not love her at the same time? They've been together for over two years already. Very long and deep responses greatly appreciated.

From your context, I get the feeling that someone cares for their s/o but doesn't love him/her? Hmm.. do you mean being in love and caring for a person?

I find that caring and loving someone goes hand in hand but usually goes in a sibling-like context. ie; you love and care for your brothers, sisters, family, and close friends, but you would be romantically in love with a significant other.

Not sure if you get my gist.. but that's how I see it.

But if this is the case, I guess you could always care really strongly about someone like a best friend but not love them in a romantic "I-wanna-have-your-kids" context.

If we're talking about a committed, long term relationship, then I find it surprising that, after two years, this person continues to say "I care about you" as opposed to "I love you".

While I understand that people fall in love at different rates, two years seems to be quite a bit of time to still be in that "I care about you" stage. To me, being "in love" is a deep, passionate, and romantic feeling you have for that one special person. You can "care" about your family, friends, school, hobbies, etc. (they're important to you in some way) but being "in love" is exclusive.

Since it's a relationship, maybe those people are afraid of using the word "love". I know there are people out there who aren't ready to use it because they find it to be a strong word. Some people don't like to "throw" around the word because they want to say it to someone meaningfully and truthfully. At two years, you might expect someone to say something like that, but I guess some think of it differently.

But this also might depend on the relationship. For example (this is just a stereotypical example this doesn't apply to everyone), relationships that occur in high school. The maturity level in relationships at that age might not be as serious as one that you might develop when you're older. You can be with someone and say "This is great!" "I love them!". But, I mean, are you REALLY in love with that person? Maybe yes, maybe no. Sometimes even if someone is in a relationship for say, about 2 years, they might not be at that level to where it's considered "love" or where they would want to admit it.

In my opinion, love is kind of like a much deeper version of caring. When I think of loving someone, I think this is something you feel specially for this person. Someone you'd want to spend long-term with, someone you would want to see a future with. Now, I'm not saying you have to "marry" that person, but someone you'd expect to be with for a long time right? Love is something that should feel different from the feelings you get when you're with a friend, a family member, etc. I don't want to get to cheesy about it but think of it as if that person was made just for you. Someone that you can share things/memories with that wouldn't be the same if you shared it with someone else. Someone that makes you warm inside when you're with them. Or another perspective, saying "I love you" can also be similar to saying "I'm committed to you". I mean you can almost say being in a long-term relationship is like a commitment. 

"I love you" = I want to spend the rest of my life and make babies with you. I would die if I lose you.

"I care about you" = I'm not sexually attracted to you, i like you because you are like a sister/brother I've never had.

Caring is an emotional response. you have little choice over the matter you care about something or you don't
Love is an on-going process, you need to keep building and working towards Love, it is decision, a choice to be together even when it isn't easy.
if i were to say that to a girl, i care about u but dont love you, usually for the mass majority of guys, it would mean, that they are not physically attracted to you, but they value your personality. OR there is something about you that makes it so they cant be with you, could be a medical condition, could be a social thing were u have a bad reputation etc.
i guess the short way to put it is, u have been friend zoned.

It is possible to care a lot about someone and love someone yet not be IN LOVE with them. Being in love with someone suggests a feeling that is more romantic. For example, I both love and care about my parents and my brother but I'm not romantically in love with them.

There's a psychological concept of love called the Triangular Theory of Love by a psychologist named Robert Sternberg. According to this theory, "true love" is when there is all three of the following elements:

1) Intimacy - Feelings of attachment, closeness, typified by sharing secrets

2) Passion - Feelings of sexual and romantic attraction

3) Commitment - Willingness to create and maintain a relationship and long-term plans to sustain the relationship

If a relationship is lacking one of these components, the type of love changes. It seems like in your friend's situation, the type of love he is experiencing towards his girlfriend is called "companionate love" where what he feels is stronger than friendship (due to long term committment), however, he do not feel passionate love for his gf.

It seems like he's been with his girlfriend for a very long time but there's no longer any romance between their relationship. I can understand where he comes from since I have been in the same situation. I once dated a guy for over a year but my feelings for him faded very quickly as the relationship went by. Although at one point I truly cared about him as a friend, I didn't love him because I felt like our personalities were not compatible, our interests did not match up, and eventually we ran out of things to talk about. Plus, I did not feel physically attracted to him. 

Many long term couples feel this way but stay together due to their long term commitment and friendship-like affection towards each other.

I think you're confused with the different definitions of love based on the situation.
In a relationship, friendship, or familial bond, I believe love is universal.
If you care about someone even though you would not spend your life with them etc., you love them too, just not the same way or same degree as a significant other.
The difference is what you are willing to sacrifice for that person. (time, money, even your body)
I feel as though loving and caring go hand in hand.
It's more about the definition of love, in this case.

To me it's all love, just different degrees. He definitely has love for her f he cares about her deeply, just not physical or extreme intimate/passionate attachment.

_Celsius said: I'm so confused. Romantically, what is the difference between loving a person and caring a lot about a person? How can a person care so much and like a girl so much but not love her at the same time? They've been together for over two years already. Very long and deep responses greatly appreciated.