To be loved is to be understood, and to be understood is to be known. The depths of who we are in our core is in our experiences, beliefs, thoughts, and ultimately, our soul. What a joy it is to have someone who wants to know you beyond what meets the eye.
The Taiwanese Journal of Psychiatry describes intellectual intimacy as an exchange of thoughts and ideas. Intimacy on its own speaks to the openness and vulnerability of people in relation to each other. There is nothing like the feeling of having a deep, meaningful conversation with someone that makes you feel like you are the only two people in the world. The intimacy of a pull and push between two people, learning about each other and why they are the way they are, cannot be compared to any other connection.
Intellectual intimacy is an important factor to building a long-term human connection. When someone understands you, your actions make sense to them and so does the reason behind everything you do. It helps you predict what direction they are going in and how you fit in to that. Although physical intimacy is important to many, it does not completely touch on who someone really is. PsychCentral emphasises the fact that emotional and intellectual intimacy can create a safe space for partners. Being able to talk to someone and express exactly how you feel without fear of judgement and a sense of being truly seen is a blessing that is not spoken about enough.
Intellectual intimacy can be applied to all types of relationships, whether familial, platonic, or romantic, and the level of intimacy in each of these relationships mirrors the other. It is very hard to be unapologetically free and vulnerable with a person as an adult if you were not granted that opportunity as a child. Although we are products of our past, it is not impossible to learn how to be more open and connect with people on a deeper level.
Once again, to be loved is to be understood, and to love is to understand. The art of yearning lies within the desire to know a person beyond their physical shell and dig deeper within their soul.
