Communication with your partner can at times be challenging. Especially when you’re unable to understand each other properly. And perhaps this is causing more arguments than it should.
But knowing and understanding both your love languages can help improve communication between couples and create a stronger bond.
What is the meaning of ‘Love Language’?
Love Language is the way we feel love. This includes how we give love or like to receive love. It describes our emotional needs.
What are the 5 types of love language?
In psychology, Dr Chapman’s bestseller ‘5 love languages’1 points out 5 love languages:
- Words of Affirmation
- Acts of Service
- Receiving Gifts
- Quality Time
- Physical Touch
In this interview, Gary Chapman explains more about the 5 love languages.
Why are love languages so important?
Misunderstandings can happen if you don’t know what your love language is.
If you’re constantly showering your partner with compliments and words of affirmation but aren’t hearing those words in return, you may feel that your partner doesn’t feel the same way about you. In fact, they may feel love through ‘Acts of Service’ and so the way they show their love is by making you that cup of tea every morning. But you may not register that as love as your love language is receiving ‘Words of affirmation’.
Quiz – How do you know what your love language is?
How knowing your love language can help your relationship
Whatever your result, what matters isn’t in the love language that you’ve ended up with, but rather in how you use that information. Knowing your love language will enable an understanding between you and your partner to help improve the way you communicate and grow your relationship.
Get your partner to also take the quiz! If you know their love language then you can help fulfil those emotional needs and understand why they are the way they are.
Why not try something new this week?
Take your partner’s love language and think of what action you can take to grow your relationship.
If your partner’s love language is ‘Receiving Gifts’, then why not surprise him with his favourite sweets when you’re next at the petrol station?
A relationship takes time to grow, but if you’re willing to take the time to understand each other’s emotional needs, then you can create stronger bonds for a long lasting relationship.
References:
- 1 5 Love Languages (15th March, 2019): How Do You Give & Receive Love?
- Featured image: Photo by Emmanuel Phaeton on Unsplash
