The 5 languages of love (do you speak the same?)

Are you putting on your seatbelt? Watch out for that cyclist. Have you eaten? Maybe you just need to sleep for a bit. Let me know when you're home, okay? There are hundreds of ways to say ‘I love you’ to someone. You just have to listen.

He knows me longer than today, right? Then he knows that I need blabla, right? I can still hear myself thinking that. Meanwhile, I secretly know better. Every person expresses love in a different way. What if you both express your love differently? Well, then there can indeed be noise. When you know which love language someone speaks, you learn to communicate on a deeper level than just with words.

Behold: the 5 languages of love. Which language do you speak?  

1. Love in words
   You completely blossom from compliments. When your partner expresses what he or she feels for you in encouraging words, oh man, you become all mushy. ‘I love you’, ‘you smell so good’, ‘you look beautiful today’, those are the things you want to hear. Insults or jabs stick with you for a long time otherwise.
2. By giving the best part of our time
   A case of ‘show, don’t tell’. You find it important to truly spend sincere time together. You can feel hurt if the other person isn’t really listening or is on their phone the whole time during your date.
3. By being attentive
   If you speak this love language, you enjoy the fact that someone is attentive, thought of you while you weren’t together, and made an effort to make you happy with a little gift. This can also be a small note on the table when you come home.
4. Helpfulness
   Loading and unloading the dishwasher, quickly vacuuming, making the place cozy and tidy at home. Cooking a delicious meal for your sweetheart. By lightening the burdens of the other, you show love. Loudness and not keeping promises are experienced as very unpleasant if this is your love language.
5. Physical touch
   This is not just about sex. Some people touch others more often and also need a hug, a shoulder to cry on, walking hand in hand, or a pat on the back. Physical contact and accessibility are very important when you express your love physically. Neglect or abuse feels unforgivable to a person who speaks this love language.