心形符号被普遍认为是源自心脏。然而，有英国专家估计，心形符号是由男性眼中所见女性的臀部形状演化而来。原因是因为心脏并非鲜红色，而且上方没有内陷，底部没有突出，与心形符号有明显差异。

The heart (♥) has long been used as a symbol to refer to the spiritual, emotional, moral, and in the past, also intellectual core of a human being. As the heart was once widely believed to be the seat of the human soul, the word heart continues to be used poetically to refer to the soul, and stylized depictions of hearts are used as prevalent symbols representing love.

What the traditional "heart shape" actually depicts is a matter of some controversy. It only vaguely resembles the human heart.

The seed of the silphium plant, used in ancient times as an herbal contraceptive, has been suggested as the source of the heart symbol.

The heart symbol could also be considered to depict features of the human female body, such as the female's buttocks

心形符号被用在所有表达爱意的场合，包括母爱，父爱，甚至对宠物狗的爱，而不仅仅是男女之间的爱情。