What Are the 5 Love Languages? Understanding Them Might Help Your Relationship

Who hasn’t had an argument that boiled down to a partner ultimately not understanding that “words of affirmation” are essential to your sense of trust in a relationship, or that what you appreciate most, over gift-giving, is your partner doing an act of service and emptying the dishwasher for you. Even if you haven’t taken the “What is your love language?” quiz at some point, many of the concepts have real-life applications that may have shown up in your personal relationships. The phrase has been ubiquitous since Dr. Gary Chapman released his best-selling relationship book, The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts, in 2015. The first in a series that now spans 11 books, the five love languages has given people a practical way to stay connected — and stay in love by respecting and nurturing your partners’ (and friends’, and other loved ones’) love languages.

But what are the five “love languages,” exactly — and how does understanding them help our relationships? It’s all about knowing what it takes for a person to feel loved and affirmed, Chapman tells SheKnows.

Dr. Tina B. Tessina, a psychotherapist and the author of Dr. Romance’s Guide to Finding Love Today, also sees the value of using the five love languages to demonstrate love. “Understanding your own ways of expressing love, and your partner’s, and understanding how your expressions of love are different or similar means you know when you’re loving your partner the way you want to and when you’re loving your partner in his or her favorite way,” she tells SheKnows. “You can understand better why some things work between you and others don’t. You can learn to recognize when your partner is sending you love, even if it’s not the way you’re used to.”

According to Chapman, taking the time to learn and really understand your partner’s primary love language, which is often different from your own, can improve communication and strengthen your bond.

What Are The 5 Love Languages?

But what are the five different love languages — and what do they look like in practice? Here’s what you need to know.

Words of affirmation

According to Chapman, people with this love language need to hear their partner say “I love you.” Even better: including the reasons behind the love through leaving them a voice message or a written note or talking to them directly with sincere words of kindness and affirmation.

Other examples from Tessina include saying things like: “Thank you,” “That was nice of you,” or “I appreciate what you did.” Affirming both your love and their efforts is much appreciated. 

Quality time

If quality time is your partner’s love language, it’s all about giving your partner your undivided attention and being fully present when you’re with them, says Chapman. That means no TV, no chores, no scrolling through Instagram or TikTok on your phone — just giving each other your undivided attention. Take time every day to do this.

“Spending time with your partner is about being together, paying attention to each other, sharing something meaningful together, and listening and communicating,” adds Tessina. Other examples include preparing dinner together and talking while preparing and eating it, sharing plans for the future, making love, or creating something together.

Receiving gifts

The person who loves this language is not necessarily materialistic (that’s a misnomer), but thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. 

“The thing that works best is picking the right gift that shows you understand your partner and the effort you made to express love,” says Chapman. “Think about finding a gift that your partner has been asking for or would enjoy receiving and plan for a special way of giving it; make it a surprise.”

The act of giving a gift tells your partner you cared enough to think about them in advance and go out of your way to get something to make your partner smile, says Tessina.

Acts of service

This language includes anything you do to ease the burden of responsibility, like vacuuming the floors, going grocery shopping, or sending thank-you notes. Stumped as to what your partner needs? Chapman suggests actually asking your partner to give ideas for things they’d like you to do that would make their life easier, and make a schedule to get them done. That alone, the asking, can feel like an act of service because it communicates the intention. 

Simple things like making breakfast in bed or walking the dog demonstrate you care about your partner and your life together, says Tessina. “It says you want to make your home and relationship more livable and you want to ease your partner’s burden,” she adds. To that point, simply being observant about what your partner actually does on a daily basis that makes your life together more comfortable can be a good way to figure out what acts of service you can do for them, without actually having to ask (which, let’s be honest, can be annoying!). 

Physical touch

People who speak this love language thrive on any type of physical touch and may have difficulty spending large stretches of time away from their partner or other loved ones. “Be intentional about finding ways to express your love using physical touch: giving hugs, touching their arm or hand during a conversation; offer to give a neck or back rub,” says Chapman.

According to Tessina, physical touch is the most direct way to communicate love. “As long as it’s done in an atmosphere which is loving and not oppressive, physical touch can be the most effective of the love languages. It calms, heals, and reassures,” she explains.

The bottom line is that not everyone expresses their love in the same way, so being aware of the different love languages can help you understand your relationship better.

A version of this story was published in January 2019.

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