Online relationship gurus claim that there are five major ways that humans express and receive love. These five methods are described as languages that each person has a different level of fluency in. In a relationship of any kind, people crave certain categories of love to certain degrees. In my opinion, people can enjoy any combination of these languages, but I believe you need one in particular to cultivate a successful relationship that lasts.
The first love language is words of affirmation. This language consists of words of validation and affection to prove one's feelings, including compliments, praise and appreciation. People who need words of affirmation need the spoken confirmation of their loved ones' feelings.
The second love language is quality time. Quality time as a language means that the person feels most loved when they get your undivided attention. They feel closest to their loved ones when they're spending meaningful, fulfilling time together.
The third love language is acts of service. People whose language is acts of service feel love most deeply when their partner is helping them out with chores or tasks. This could include doing the dishes, cleaning up or running errands. They notice the little acts of kindness or helpfulness the most.
The next language is physical touch. People who prioritize this language enjoy close contact and gestures of affection through physical closeness. They love holding hands and other physical activities.
The final love language is receiving gifts. People in this category want to receive material tokens that express feelings.
Each of these languages represent pillars of a healthy relationship that successfully convey emotions. Ideally, you can have all of them at once. However, there is one language that is nonnegotiable. Quality time is absolutely necessary to have a satisfying and real relationship. If someone's love language is exclusively receiving gifts, I am convinced that the person is simply not ready for a long-lasting relationship. A partnership cannot stand on legs of flattery, material items or even taking out the trash. If you want a relationship where the goal is getting pampered, then gift receiving is ideal. However, there's only a certain level of depth that can be reached with that.
The only way to find true compatibility is within the minutes and hours spent with a person. Time is the most precious possession anyone has, and if someone is willing to spend that time with you, that is the simplest and most straightforward way to gauge their feelings. Quality time doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your independence or even huge amounts of time. The quality and significance of your time outweighs the quantity of time, especially in cases of long-distance relationships. The consideration and thoughtfulness behind setting a portion of your day aside for someone is the true commitment.
There can be language barriers when someone doesn't express their love in the ways that you expect them to. If they can't verbalize their feelings or show their affection, you might question the relationship as a whole. Yet, just because someone can't show love in the ways you expect, doesn't mean they don't feel those emotions just as deeply.
