Ich liebe dich! Que?
Who hasn’t heard of the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman? Well, you must have been living under a rock if you said, no never heard of it. The book talks about love languages, and that we can all be categorized in five ways of expressing and receiving love. We all have a dominant way and then the other 4 follow afterwards in importance.
Why is this important to know? Well, just like a foreign language, if you are speaking it to someone who doesn’t understand it, despite your fluency and eloquence, they’ll never get what you are saying. It’s as if you’re talking to a rock. That makes you and the person you are talking to frustrated. You wonder, how much clearer can I be? And the other person says, how much dumber can they be? I cannot understand a word.
Love languages speak for us much like words and languages do. If we are speaking the language of Act of Service and diligently take out the garbage without being asked or warm up the car, but never say I love you or you look beautiful/handsome to the person who needs Words of Affirmation, your I love you because I have done X,Y,Z can fall on deaf ears.
Here’s a fun way to learn the 5 love languages:
This funny explanation by @Alonzo_Creed has been retweeted 52,000 times on Twitter:
1. Words of Affirmation: “This is a good burrito.”
2. Acts of Service: “I made you a burrito.”
3. Receiving Gifts: “Here’s a burrito.”
4. Quality time: “Let’s go get some burritos together.”
5. Physical touch: Arms around a person wrapped in a warm hug, like a burrito.
Or this is a great one too, the 5 love languages explained with a taco.
Words of Affirmation: This is a good taco, or Your tacos are delicious!
Acts of Service: I made you a taco
Receiving gifts: Here’s a taco
Quality time: Let’s go make tacos together or Let’s go out for tacos together
Physical touch: Arms around the person wrapped in a hug, like a taco. Feed them a taco or say “Let me hold you like a taco”
Don’t be a cotton headed ninny muggings…get the book the 5 love languages today – take the quiz and share the book with those you love. I guarantee it will improve all your relationships and conversations.