You may have heard that there are five love languages - physical touch, gifts, words of affirmation, quality time and acts of service - and they all come down to how we like to give and receive love. Knowing your love language and your partners can help you connect, strengthen the bond you share and help your relationship thrive. And it turns out, this can work with friendships, too.
We care deeply for our close friends and while it’s different than romantic love, these relationships are no less important and can benefit from understanding each other’s love languages. Relationship therapist Georgina Smith explains, “If we know what makes our friends tick, what makes them happy and what makes them feel loved, and if we are mindful of this when we communicate with them. Then that friendship will be the healthiest version it can be.”
So how do we do this with our BFFs? Psychologist Emma Kenny advises mirroring how your friend likes to give and receive love and making sure they know you value them in a similar way. So if your bestie’s love language is gifts, that doesn’t mean you have to buy them things all the time, just maybe pay for lunch occasionally. Even physical touch - the one we would most associate with couples and intimacy - can be tweaked to fit a friendship with a hug or a hand on their shoulder to make them feel heard.
Source: Metro
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