How To Show Love: 7 Ways To Do It

We know that there are multiple types of love: brotherly love, maternal love, love for a partner, love for friends, self-love … And, therefore, there are also many ways of loving and showing love. Each one shows love how they feel, or on some occasions, how they know …

But do we really know how to show love? Is it something that comes from innate or can we also work on it? Are there universal ways to show love? Although everyone has their own way of showing love and affection, the truth is that there are some generic actions that help us show love. Do you want to know them? Well, stay tuned!

How to show love

Love is expressed with the body, with words, with gestures … There are no more correct or incorrect ways to do it if we do it with respect and sincerity towards the other. We leave you here some examples of it.

Express it

One of the first steps in showing love is simply by expressing it however it is born. Here it is not so much the way of doing it, but the fact of doing it. You can do it verbally, through letters, gestures, details, looks, smiles …

In relation to this, a study published in the journal  Motivation and Emotion  (2009) suggests that a big smile can attract a happy person and, therefore, lead to a more lasting and satisfying relationship.

The important thing, when it comes to expressing our feelings, is to do it in an honest way. There are people who have more facility to express their feelings and others who not so much.

Each one must respect their rhythms and their way of feeling, but it is important that we do it (in our own way) if we want the other person to receive it. In this sense, it is better not to take anything for granted.

Feel free

In line with the previous point, it is important to feel free to express our feelings in any context. That is, it would not make much sense to specifically select the contexts in which to express what we feel.

Another different thing is wanting to reserve for our intimacy (for example in a couple relationship) tokens of love. In any case, the important thing is to be aware that love must be expressed naturally and freely, without external (or internal) pressures.

Worry about the other

Showing love is not limited only to expressing our feelings, but also to caring about the feelings of others and that includes their well-being.

Therefore, it is important to convey to the other person that we are there and that we are interested in their well-being and happiness.

Use physical contact

Physical contact is very comforting for people and, in turn, is another form of demonstration of love. According to a study from the University of North Carolina (2001), levels of oxytocin (the hormone related to love and happiness) increase with physical contact, such as caresses, kisses and hugs.

In addition, according to Catherine A. Connors, a holistic therapist specializing in stress management, physical contact, by increasing oxytocin levels can help reduce stress and anxiety. This, in turn, would reduce the risk of heart disease. So showing love is healthy too!

Practice active listening

Listening to the other actively, taking an interest in their concerns and problems, as well as their wants or needs is another way of showing love.

Because when we care about someone, and when we love that person, we want to know how they are, what fears they have, how they feel … In addition, active listening is also a way of showing affection and respect towards someone.

Show empathy

Empathy has multiple definitions, but broadly speaking, we could say that it is the ability to understand the emotional life of another person. That is, put yourself in their place and feel what that person feels (or an approach to it). Through empathy we can better connect with people, understand them and support them. And this is another way to show love.

Did you know that empathy has a genetic component? This is suggested by a study carried out by researchers from French and English universities, led by Varun Warrier and published in the journal Translational Psychiatry . On the other hand, according to the study itself, women would be more empathetic than men.

Take time

It is very good to express what we feel, to have details, to show affection to that person in question, to show our love towards them… However, one of the greatest expressions of love towards someone is simply to dedicate time to that person.

It is not necessary to see each other often if circumstances prevent it, but at least have a while to call her, to be interested in how she is, etc. In the end, time is a limited good, and dedicating it to someone (quality time) is another undeniable way to show love.

In short, there are multiple ways to show love, although here we have focused only on some of them. As we have seen, we can show love through words, gestures, spending time with the other person … and this is extrapolated to any type of love.

Love towards children, towards parents, partner, friends… Even love towards oneself! How important is it to cultivate self-love, right? Without him, little love we can give to others… So feed him too: treat yourself well!