European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sweet talk for sweethearts on Valentine s Darby Sid Schapiro although cupid s Arrow May sometimes be guilt edged instead of Gilt edged nothing can really put a a Damper on Valentine s Day the red letter Day for sweethearts and lovers. A hearts sing and Cash registers ring at jewelry counters Flower shops Candy stores and greeting card shops for Quot be my Valentine Quot missives can anybody explain Why lovers Call each other Quot sweetheart Quot Quot sugar pie Quot Quot Honey Bun Quot or other Sweet nothings anthropologist Sidney Mintz of Johns Hopkins University has some theories on Why humans evoke the imagery of sweetness to express affection. Possibly our fondness for Sweet talk can be traced genetically to our primate ancestors who discovered the delights of Juicy Jungle fruits As they swung from Trees. Perhaps it is associated with the infant s innate love for the sweetness of Mother s milk. In the United states it might even be reinforced by the High sugar intake in our fast food Candy nibbling culture. Quot it strikes me As curious that All the words we use to describe love and warmth Are derived Tram the sweetness end of the spectrum of taste not the sour bitter Salty or hot Quot says Mintz who has written a Book sweetness and Power in which he describes the role that sugar has played in modern history. Quot the Candy associated with Valentine s Day brings together love and sweetness in a very striking  a o. Sweets have Art erotic nature that s undeniable. Quot what tends to be forgotten about sugar is its intensity an intensity that our bodies Are. Immediately aware of Mintz says. Quot what do you experience with your first Mouthful of a hot fudge sundae it s not surprising that we carry it Over to describe the intensity of love and  it should be noted that if chocolate figures in your Valentine s Day strategy you May be adding a chemically tipped Dart to cupid s quiver Quot a chemical in the chocolate hits a pleasure Center in the brain Quot says master chef George  a gift froma Lover Toa Lover it would certainly do the  chocolate contains Phenyl Ethlarine or pea a natural mood altering chemical also found in the brain. A a a a a a a a. Thus Quot chocolate does have amorous value Quot says Higgins a pastry chef instructor at the 6,000-student Johnson amp Wales University in Providence r.i., one of the biggest cooking schools in the world. According to chocolate an illustrated history by a Marcia and Frederick Morton Quot win a lottery get a promotion fall in love a especially fall in love a and your pea level shoots up. You re optimistic sociable and Peppy. Quot but if things go wrong especially if something goes wrong in your love life you turn listless and depressed because your pea level is  Quot the taste of chocolate is a sensual pleasure in itself existing in the same world asset Quot writes sex therapist Ruth Westheimer. A but there s also an argument against the romantic effects of chocolate. Quot if you re dealing in a situation where the woman is being pursued by the Man it might slow her Down theoretically enough that she car be caught Quot Westheimer adds. A Quot i really wonder whether giving chocolate for Valentine s Day is really the Best Type of gift if one wants to pursue any Type of intense romantic affair Quot says Judith Wurtman a research scientist at Massachusetts Institute of technology s. Department of nutrition and food sciences. Quot the High fat and the High sugar Content May make you very  the language of love has c hanged dramatically Over the years. We be gone from Quot my loves like ared red Rose Quot to Quot i m nuts about you  today a Man might murmur Quot i really relate to you Barbie Quot arid gazing into his eyes she  Quot you re so nurturing  on Valentine s Day philologists wonder what s happening to love. In his new York times sunday Magazine column Quot on language Quot William satire wrote Quot love s Root is not latin Amor is what some romans Felt for each other leading to our Amo jus. Period. For the origin of love we turn to the saxons whose old English word was Lulu and the gothic tribes of Central Europe whose a words led to our love lust and even libido. Quot the English pronunciation began with Loo Voo changed to Low huh in Middle English and now a As every lyricist knows a rhymes with Dove above of and shove. A ,.ly.q. Hoshev Quot the spelling variant that has gained in usage so much that it has lost its Kininess is Luv. This hypo prism started about a Century ago As Friendly British barmaids clipped the word s pronunciation slightly to use it As a term of endearment what la yer Aye Luv you like hypo Orist it comes from the greek and moans the use of pet names when a person Calls everybody dahling that word is hypo Coristin Quot today Luv is used to show affection care or cordiality without getting Sobious. Muc h Luv is to real love Asta to is to a serious Farewell. A smiling Tuvya is usually a Friendly or filial equivalent to see you soon although it can conceal a genuine expression of love under a Sassy colloquialism. A Quot love spelled the traditional Way covers both spiritual and personal  that love makes people Happy the experts agree. Quot when you focus attention on someone else you feel better about yourself Quot says Perry w. Buffington ph.d., an Atlanta psychologist. Quot almost any kind of Loving relationship can. Contribute to happiness Quot says psychiatrist j. Ingram Walker , author of everybody s guide to emotional  a relationship can help us better tolerate All the misfortunes of  Sid Schapiro a stars and stripes new York Bureau Retiree lets cupid talk for him on Valentine s Day. February 14, 1991 stripes Magazine