Acts of Service. Gift giving. Words of affirmation. Quality time. Physical touch. All of these are examples of love languages.
Love languages are the way people show love to others. By definition, they are the way couples give each other love in ways that it is best received by each other.
Everyone has their ideal forms of receiving love and expressing their love languages. Some people like acts of service, while others like kind words and cuddling. Whether or not some would like to admit it, some people like receiving gifts, rather than spending time with somebody.
The most common love language, at 23%, is words of affirmation. Words of affirmation are words communicated to loved ones, usually to show love, respect, or appreciation toward them. Sayings like “I love you,” and “You are special to me” are great examples of words of affirmation. When you love someone using words that are affirmations, they’re usually taken as love, care, and support for an individual. The words help others feel more confident and content.
After words of affirmation, quality time is most common. Quality time means you like spending time with others. It can be shown just by hanging out with someone, talking to them, doing something together. When you spend quality time with someone, it strengthens your relationship, makes you feel present, and more valued that the person enjoys spending time with you. Time with people is not promised, which is why it is so valuable to some.
Without spending time together, for some, acts of service are how they show love to others. Acts of service is a common love language. When you do an act of service, which is something like filling up a loved one’s car with gas or helping them clean up, it’s seen as a thoughtful gesture. When someone does an act of service, it’s normally being performed without asking, with the intent of care/help. It’s how some people show their love and care for someone.
There are also people who enjoy physical touch. Physical touch means that someone enjoys physical expressions to show love and overall, small physical gestures. Simple things like hugs, cuddling, massages, and holding hands can display this. When somebody enjoys touch, it gives them a sense of being accepted and cared for. While to certain individuals, physical touch is just holding hands, people whose love language is physical touch have a much stronger, intimate connection with physical touch,
Although receiving gifts is the least common type of love language, people still love to give and get gifts. For some, giving and getting gifts is about the item they are receiving, while to others, it’s about the thought. When you give a gift, it’s the fact that someone saw something and it made them think about the recipient. When your love language is gift-giving, it says that you think about others, pay attention to them, and care overall.
Regardless of somebody’s love language, everyone deserves love. While there are five main love languages, there are less common ones that aren’t talked about much, like humor, to make people laugh in a way that makes them feel cared for, and banter, which is rude sometimes, but in a caring manner.
