With us being in the midst of the holiday season (and cuffing season), I was curious about the "love languages" that I have heard mentioned a couple of times. I have seen some tweets where people attributed their languages to things like when someone shares the Netflix password or their food. However, I wanted to know if there was more to it if I could identify mine and most importantly what implications they actually had.

So I did a little research, as we all know I love to do, and found out that there are five types of love languages according to Gary Chapman and his book The Five Love Languages. They are words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch— pretty simple concepts. All of these are seemingly integral to maintaining healthy relationships.

I then found a website where you could take your own test by answering some simple questions. I scored highly in areas of words of affirmation. This was not surprising as I thought back to my relationships both platonic and romantic. It was interesting to see though how the questions were formatted. They really made you think hard about how you act in your daily relationships. I had to take the test twice because I wanted to make sure I answered as truthfully as possible.

But why is this important? I think knowing what you respond to is helpful when you enter a new relationship. You can set expectations and understand your partners' needs in return. Even in friendships, knowing what "language" you respond to best can create a stronger bond and aid in communication. There is definitely no one-size-fits-all guide for love—platonic or otherwise—but learning how to speak someone's language is a good start.