EXCLUSIVE The shocking truth about love languages and how they could DESTROY your relationship
We've been taught to believe that understanding our partner's love language is the secret to a happy, lasting relationship.
Acts of service, words of affirmation, physical touch - it all sounds sweet and simple, but what if this popular relationship theory is actually setting us up for failure?
Beneath the surface of this well-meaning concept lies a potential trap, one that can create unrealistic expectations, fuel resentment, and even sabotage intimacy, a relationship expert has now revealed.
DailyMail.com spoke to multiple experts to learn more about love languages and how they can be doing more harm than good.
Michelle Smith, LPC, LMHC, and LCMHC, broke down what love languages really are.
'A "love language" describes a way someone is best able to receive love and affection,' she explained.
'There are five primary love languages including physical touch, acts of service, gifts, words of affirmation, and quality time.'
She added: 'We tend to give love the way we best receive it.
'For example, if my primary love language is words of affirmation I am likely to show love for my partner through my words.'
Despite this seeming like a simple and effective way to mesh with a partner, it comes with its own difficulties.
'The problem tends to come with love languages because it is almost never that partners are aligned in love languages,' Michelle detailed.
'We tend to have to learn to "speak" each other's languages which is not always an easy process.'
Michelle said she has seen couples weaponize their love languages and use them to criticize their partner rather than connect with them.
'For example, someone whose primary love language is "words of affirmation" would be absolutely devastated if their partner utilized the "silent treatment" during an argument because it is utilizing the information they know against them in a weaponized way to make them feel even worse,' she explained to DailyMail.com.
She advised: 'Talk with your partner about how the information around love languages can improve the relationship between each other versus be utilized in a negative way!'
Seth Eisenberg, PAIRS (Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills) Trainer and CEO of PAIRS Foundation, added: 'One partner might say, "You know I need words of affirmation - how could you not compliment me today?" or, "If you really loved me, you'd do more acts of service."
'It becomes less about learning how to give and more about measuring how someone fails.
'That kind of scorekeeping creates resentment and defensiveness, pushing partners further apart rather than bringing them closer.'
He added that another dangerous 'illusion' is assuming that once you 'master' your partner's love language 'that's all it takes.'
'Love is far more complex than any one framework. Life stages, emotional states, and external stressors can all shift what we need from a partner,' Seth explained to DailyMail.com.
'What felt like love last year might feel hollow today. Relying too heavily on a single love language as the benchmark for connection creates unrealistic expectations, and worse, a rigid emotional blueprint that doesn't adapt with time.
'True connection comes from attunement - not just knowing your partner's preferences, but staying present and curious about how those preferences evolve.'
Seth added: 'When couples treat these preferences like fixed identities instead of starting points for deeper understanding, it can backfire.
'I've seen people cling so tightly to their "primary" love language that they overlook the many ways love shows up in their lives.
'They miss gestures of affection simply because those gestures don't match their preferred dialect, and instead of feeling grateful, they feel neglected.
'The focus becomes so narrow that it blocks emotional generosity and flexibility—qualities essential for sustaining intimacy through life's ups and downs.'
Aubrey Aust, an MA Candidate studying Psychology & Philosophy at New York University, said if we get wrapped up in assuming love must come in the form you prefer, 'we risk turning love into a checklist... and relationships don't thrive on checklists.'
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