The 5 Love Languages Have An Update - Now There's 2 New Ways To Express & Receive Love

My first time learning about my love language, which at that time was quality time, it resonated with me a bit, but none of them quite fit me. It wasn't until EHarmony reported the 2023 dating trends that I realized that I wasn't alone.

For me, and I'm sure for a lot of women, the dating game has changed tremendously in the past decade. It's gender roles are evolving, people are changing how they prefer to meet -- not to mention the many side of Polygamous style relationships that have been on the rise. And with all the confusion, many people are still on a mission to find lasting love. To better understand the shifts in the dating scene, EHarmony surveyed daters, and it changed everything we believed about the 5 Love Languages.

Originally, Gary Chapman taught us that there were 5 Love Languages - words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, gifts and touch - in his #1 New York Times Best Seller. We understood that if we knew our own as well as our significant other's, it was the secret to a lasting relationship.

But now, things have changed. According to the EHarmony's website, 26 % of respondents have changed the way they express love in romantic relationships in the past years while 25 % have changed the way they receive love. And like myself, nearly half of the respondence aren't sure if their love languages encompass the way they express and prefer to receive love.

Here's what they found. The 6th love language found was shared experiences (38 %). Although it sounds very much like quality time, it's a little different. There are some people who enjoy going on new adventures, dates and exploring new places, and it makes them feel loved. The difference between quality time and shared experiences is that people whose love language is quality time just want to spend time with their loved one in order to feel loved

The 7th love language is emotional security (35%). Emotional security doesn't mean needing validation, but more so "making them feel emotionally seen." It means respecting their emotions, trying to understand them and listening to them. In an era where it's less common to be vulnerable and expressive, it would appear that more people crave someone to understand them and honor how they feel.

The last one mentioned in the survey was 31 % of people felt loved when their partner gave them the space to be alone. However, I haven't seen this one in many articles, so I left it out. Now, I can't say that I can elaborate on this one. But I do understand that it is healthy to have space in a relationship, and if someone is infringing on your personal space, it would make sense to feel that the other person doesn't value you or your space.