Love should be like a balanced diet, where each partner receives the full spectrum of «nutrients».

About 30 years ago, the theory of the «five love languages» became popular. Its author came to the conclusion that to achieve happiness in romantic relationships, one needs to understand which love «language» your partner understands best and express your feelings in that way. If you know your partner’s love «language» and they know yours, then you are guaranteed a long and happy life together.

The list of «love languages» includes:

— Physical touch (caresses, kisses, sex, etc.);
— Acts of service (for example, cooking a favorite dish, fixing a shelf, repairing something, etc.);
— Quality time spent together (trips, travels, movie nights, theater visits, etc.);
— Gifts;
— Verbal affirmations of love.

The authors of a new study, published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, have concluded that in reality, people «speak» to each other in all five «love languages,» expressing their love through gestures, words, baked pies, shared walks, and gifts.

Imagine your love as a nutritious, balanced diet.

Keep all possible ways of expressing love on the menu, allowing your partner to choose from this menu whatever they desire at any given moment. That’s the recipe for deep, happy, long-lasting relationships, write the study’s authors, psychologists from the University of Toronto (Canada).

«To maintain one’s health, people need a variety of essential nutrients, and, continuing this analogy, love requires expressions of love, assistance, support, time spent together, and gifts,» noted lead author Emily Impett in a comment to CNBC.

At the same time, the love language may change depending on life circumstances — for example, for a mother of young children, her partner’s desire to equally share all burdens with her will speak volumes more about his love than mere words or gifts.