There are many variations in how a person prefers to receive love. These personal preferences are known as love languages. There are five major categories under the umbrella of love languages: acts of service, such as running an errand or cooking dinner for your partner; gifts– thoughtful and meaningful gifts of any size without an occasion; physical touch–hugging, kissing, holding hands; quality time–giving your partner undivided attention via exclusive time together; and words of affirmation–offering verbal compliments and words of appreciation. A common misconception is that people can have only one love language. Individuals might have a combination of ways they prefer to give and receive love.
Caitlyn Dyke and Sam King.
Caitlyn Dyke and her boyfriend, Sam King, have been together just over a month. “We met four years ago and were friends,” King says. “We had a class, did biology tutoring together and got a lot closer. Then we started to hangout all the time.” Dyke and King share words of affirmation and physical touch as their love languages. Though this couple has coincidental similarities, it is also typical for partners to have different love languages. It is also normal for love languages to change over time and/or from one relationship to the next. The pair believe they have always had the same love language, even in past relationships. “But I wasn’t always loved the way I felt I was supposed to be,” Dyke said, referring to her previous long-term relationship. “Nobody would’ve been able to guess that those were my love languages.”
Jack Bisson and Abi Davis.
Unlike Dyke and King, Jack Bisson and his girlfriend, Abi Davis, have different love languages from each other. The pair met when they were 12 years old after Davis transferred to Bisson’s middle school. They began dating at the start of college. Nearly four years later, Davis persuaded Bisson to take a love language quiz on Buzzfeed. “I really learned about it from her,” Bisson said with a smile. “She got talking with me about it. Abi’s all into that stuff.” The quiz revealed something that Jack had suspected: his love language is physical touch. “Abi always does this cute thing,” he said. “We’ll be holding hands and she’ll rub little circles on my thumb with hers. Or, when we’re sitting together, she’ll rub my arm. It always makes my heart happy.” Bisson knows that Davis’ love languages are acts of service and quality time. “I like that she taught me what love languages are,” he said. “By communicating these details about her, I am able to understand better how to show her love.”
