What’s Your Love Language?
By Rachel Cringoli
We all express and receive love in different
ways. Have you ever given someone a gift you were so excited about, but it
wasn’t received as enthusiastically as you expected? What about planning a
super fun date, only to find your significant other would rather stay in and
cuddle? You were showing love but didn’t
receive it back in the same way. Why is that?
There are five noted ways that people
communicate and show love. Most of the time, if we aren’t aware of what makes
somebody feel loved, we only show them in the same ways that we, ourselves, feel loved. Do you know
what your love language is? Let’s break them down.
The five love languages are:
- Words of Affirmation
- Giving Gifts
- Acts of Service
- Physical Touch
- Quality Time
Words of Affirmation are verbal ways to
express our feelings. Cards that say I love you, telling someone they look
beautiful today, and acknowledging an idea or accomplishment they’ve had.
Someone who feels love through this language receives love and feels special
through positive, loving words. Giving
gifts is just that! Buying someone a lottery ticket as a thank you, knowing
someone’s favorite candy, and bringing it the next time they get together are
examples of Giving Gifts love language. Unloading the dishwasher or picking up
dry cleaning are examples of Acts of Service. People that really appreciate
when you spend your time doing something that makes their life easier, they
receive love through Acts of Service. The love language of physical touch can
include holding hands in public, and a hug when you walk in the door. Quality
time (which is one of my love languages) means you value and feel loved
spending time with your significant other. This can be planning a date night
out, and also planning to stay in to watch your favorite show together.
Knowing these five ways to show love, think of your 5 closest friends. Can you
see ways they show you love? What about ways you show love to others? Do they
look similar to what makes you feel loved? Write down a list of times when
someone made you feel special and see which category above they fit into. Happy loving all.