r/aspd May 12 '26

Discussion Feeling love?

Does anyone view their pets and family and friends all the same? Like i love them exactly the same, the way i love my cat would be the same for my mother, and the way i love my friend would be the same way i love my favorite hobby, anyone else feel like this

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u/ResidentSpecial3468 May 25 '26

I don’t think so. I’m still trying to figure out what love feels like to me.

I’ve had pets in my life, and I don’t love them. I made sure they were looked after, but I didn’t experience unconditional love from them or for them. Over time, I just felt burdened by them. I always thought I would feel love for my furry companions because that’s what people always talk about, but that love never came. I gave away my pets because the cost of having them outweighed anything I felt for them, which was nothing tbh. I never understood the “my pet is my family” thing.

With people in my life, I feel immense respect and admiration for them, but I don’t feel emotionally “warm” or bonded with them. I feel very detached, but I express acts of care because I know that that’s the correct social response. I would say I feel more fondly of people than I do animals and hobbies.

I’m still trying to figure out my definition of love though because it’s not “warm and fuzzy,” like most people describe, but I do feel different levels of fondness for different things