The Five Love Languages

I'm sitting here wondering what I was going to post this wonderful Wednesday morning while surfing the web, and I somehow had a thought that led me to think about the five love languages. So, I asked Google and they gave me a lot of links, but the one I chose just happened to be one that had a little questionaire to go along with it also, assessing what your love language is. I'll post that one here too, but first I'll explain the concept of the love languages.

There are five love languages, and you may have heard them mentioned before: physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation, receiving gifts, and acts of service. You may not understand what these mean, so I'll explain that too, but these categories are the ways people express and receive love. If you show your love to your special someone in a way they don't understand (or vice versa), they may not even realize you've expressed your love at all. Situations like those can be hard for both people and can lead to feelings of rejection and neglect, so knowing your and your spouse's love language can be crucial. Here they are explained (I did the questionaire multiple times purposely to get all the different results, so these explanations are almost exactly the same as what you will get when/if you take the questionaire yourself):

• Quality time: nothing says "I love you" like full undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there with the TV off and everything else aside makes your significant other feel truly special and loved. Distractions, post-poned dates, or not listening can be especially hurtful to this type of personl.
• Acts of service: Contrary to some people's beliefs, vacuuming can be an act of love! This type of person appreciates anything you do to ease their burden of responsibilities. The words "let me do that for you" can speak volumes, however broken commitments, laziness, and making more work for them can tell this type of people that their feelings don't matter.
• Receiving gifts: this type of person has nothing to do with materialism, but thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If this is someones love language, the perfect gift or gesture shows they are known, cared for, and prized above whatever is sacrificed to bring the gift to them. A missed birthday, anniversary, or thoughtless quick gift would be disastrous, as would the absense of every day gestures.
• Words of affirmation: genuine comments mean the world to people with this love language. Hearing "I love you" is important, and hearing the reasoning behind those words can send their spirits skyward. Insults, however, can leave them shattered, and aren't easily forgotten.
• Physical touch: despite what some may think, this love language focuses on things other than the bedroom. This type of person is very touchy; hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, face, or shoulders can be ways to show excitement, care, concern, and love. Physical prescense and accessibility are crucial while neglect or abuse can be unforgiveable and destructive.

I encourage you to take the questionaire, and your significant other to do so also. It could ulitmately help you better understand yourself/each other, and could lead to a more fulfilling relationship if applied to your life/lives. So, without any more delay, here's the link. Have a good day!

The 5 Love Languages Questionaire