Love is a universal experience whether it be the love you share with your family and friends or the kind you share with your partner. However, that love can be communicated in many different ways. 
Garrick Garcia, a lecturer in the Psychology Department, says “Love is what makes people human. Love is the goal [and] love drives our thinking.” 
According to Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The 5 Love Languages, there are various love languages that people can use to express their affection for one another.
Acts of service – For these people, actions speak louder than words.
Receiving Gifts– For some people, receiving a heartfelt gift is what makes them feel most loved.
Quality Time– This language is all about giving the other person your undivided attention.
Words of Affirmation– This language uses words to declare fondness for others.
Physical Touch – To this person, nothing speaks more deeply than appropriate touch.
Staff and students at CSU Stanislaus weighed in on how the love languages looked in their lives. 
Maddie Corgiat, ASI Digital Marketing Coordinator, prefers to show love through acts of service. Acts of service display love through action such as washing the dishes, helping with a project or making life easier for your loved one. 
While Corgiat shows love through acts of service, she feels most loved through spending quality time. Quality time can look like active listening, going on coffee dates, making dinner together and even practicing a TikTok dance.
Not every couple has the chance to practice their love languages in person. Ellison Weaver (senior, Psychology) has been in a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend for the past four or five months. 
“It kind of sucks,” says Weaver regarding the distance between her and her beau, “‘cause I feel like, you know, like we’re together, but like, he’s also my best friend, the person I want to hang out with most. So that kind of sucks. But I feel like we make it work with calling all the time. And FaceTime helps.”
When asked about her love languages, Weaver noted a separation between how she prefers to receive versus express love.
“I like to receive, like, acts of service and quality time. Those are the two that I like to receive. But I think when I give […] I think I give words of affirmation. That’s my favorite one to give.”
Garcia stated that although Chapman’s ideas don’t have a lot of scientific backing to them, they can a be great framework for understanding what you and your partner are looking for in a loving relationship.
Check out this website to learn more about the love languages: https://5lovelanguages.com/learn