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The 5 Love Languages
Written by Gary Chapman
Narrated by Gary Chapman
Book Actions
Start ListeningEditor's Note
What’s your love language?…
Chapman’s love languages are five simple keys that open the door to lasting happiness in any relationship. Identify your and your partner’s primary language today to ensure your feelings are clear and your love endures.
Description
Simple ideas, lasting love.
Between busy schedules and long days, expressing love can fall by the wayside. We forget to compliment, to give gifts "just because," to linger in an embrace. The things that say "I love you" seem to either not get said or not get through. This is an audio book about saying it - and hearing it - clearly. No gimmicks. No psychoanalyzing. Just learing to express love in your spouse's language.
With over 10 million copies sold, The 5 Love Languages® has transformed countless relationships. Its ideas are simple and conveyed with clarity and humor, making this audio book as practical as it is personable. You'll be inspired by real-life stories and encouraged by its commonsense approach. Listening to this audio feels like taking a walk with a wise friend. Applying it will forever change your relationship - starting today.
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
The 5 Love Languages
Written by Gary Chapman
Narrated by Gary Chapman
Editor's Note
What’s your love language?…
Chapman’s love languages are five simple keys that open the door to lasting happiness in any relationship. Identify your and your partner’s primary language today to ensure your feelings are clear and your love endures.
Description
Simple ideas, lasting love.
Between busy schedules and long days, expressing love can fall by the wayside. We forget to compliment, to give gifts "just because," to linger in an embrace. The things that say "I love you" seem to either not get said or not get through. This is an audio book about saying it - and hearing it - clearly. No gimmicks. No psychoanalyzing. Just learing to express love in your spouse's language.
With over 10 million copies sold, The 5 Love Languages® has transformed countless relationships. Its ideas are simple and conveyed with clarity and humor, making this audio book as practical as it is personable. You'll be inspired by real-life stories and encouraged by its commonsense approach. Listening to this audio feels like taking a walk with a wise friend. Applying it will forever change your relationship - starting today.
About the author
Reviews
This book is part of my collection that really focuses in on Biblical Commentary more than anything else (including some well known authors in the theological world). All of these books haven't been read cover to cover, but I've spent a lot of time with them and they've been helpful in guiding me through difficult passages (or if I desire to dig deeper).
It's pop psychology at its best, light, deep and interesting at the same time. it's designed to make you slap your forehead. i love the concept of love languages. I'm going to incorporate it into my writing from now on. it made a lot of sense to me. And I love lists. ^_^
This books seems to be a streach in its basic premise.
I like the idea behind this book, and like how it is written in a way that simplifies the subject matter. The book is easy to read and understand. I like the differentiation made between feeling in love, and actual love. It is simple, and won't cover every circumstance and situation, but is a good starting point in understanding how we each process things in different ways.
This was a very interesting book. I've seen it recommended by many people over the past few years, and I can see why; it really teaches you to look at not only how you communicate, but what types of communication are most rewarding for you. It does have a strong Christian message, but that shouldn't deter folks of other faiths. I'm critical of most relationship type books because they tend to be corny or preachy. This one feels... well, friendly. I can see why his seminars draw big crowds.I found out I'm an Acts of Service kind of gal. I guess that explains why I love baking cookies for my husband to take to work, and why I get so mad if I'm the only one who changes diapers all day long. I like to do things for others, and yet I get resentful if the favor isn't returned sometimes. I really hadn't thought of that as my love language before, and yet it makes perfect sense.
This updated edition (2015) of Dr. Chapman's classic work on communicating love to a spouse makes the book just as relevant today as when it was first published. Couples need to identify each other's love language and express their love to the other through the recipient's love language. He discusses the temporal concept of "falling in love" and shows how lasting love is not built on this euphoric state but rather by expressing love to your spouse through his or her love language. A test to help determine one's language is included, but the author discusses other ways of determining it throughout the book. Sometimes the simplest concepts are the most difficult to learn and put into practice. The book stands the test of the time and would be beneficial to married couples everywhere. Editions for singles and children also exist.
This is a classic book about expressing love and appreciation, particularly to one's husband or wife.
Gary Chapman's theory is that there are five 'languages' of love, but that we are usually only 'fluent' in one or two of them. The languages are: words of appreciation, giving gifts, physical touch, acts of service, and quality time.
Thus, he claims, if - for example - a husband's primary language is gifts, and his wife's is quality time, then he might keep buying her presents but feel unloved because she rarely buys him anything. At the same time, she might long to spend more time with him, and feel unloved because he's so busy... and then might feel that the gifts were manipulative, trying to buy her off.
He recounts many anecdotes of couples who have been helped by discovering their primary love languages, and who have then learned, slowly, to speak each other's.
It wasn't anything new to me, as I'd come across similar theories before, but I found the writing excellent, the stories inspiring, and the whole book very encouraging and thought-provoking.
There's a questionnaire at the end to help people discover their love languages, but I found the text of the book more helpful.
All in all, highly recommended to anyone in any kind of romantic relationship, particularly if either partner is feeling somewhat empty or unloved.
Gary Chapman's theory is that there are five 'languages' of love, but that we are usually only 'fluent' in one or two of them. The languages are: words of appreciation, giving gifts, physical touch, acts of service, and quality time.
Thus, he claims, if - for example - a husband's primary language is gifts, and his wife's is quality time, then he might keep buying her presents but feel unloved because she rarely buys him anything. At the same time, she might long to spend more time with him, and feel unloved because he's so busy... and then might feel that the gifts were manipulative, trying to buy her off.
He recounts many anecdotes of couples who have been helped by discovering their primary love languages, and who have then learned, slowly, to speak each other's.
It wasn't anything new to me, as I'd come across similar theories before, but I found the writing excellent, the stories inspiring, and the whole book very encouraging and thought-provoking.
There's a questionnaire at the end to help people discover their love languages, but I found the text of the book more helpful.
All in all, highly recommended to anyone in any kind of romantic relationship, particularly if either partner is feeling somewhat empty or unloved.
A guide to effective expression of love and care in relationships specifically geared to marriages.The author, through his work in counseling, has discerned five "love languages": words of affirmation, physical touch, receiving gifts, quality time, and acts of service. It is not as if only one of these is important to any given person, but everyone has a primary love language, the one thing which they more earnestly desire than the rest. The difficulty, of course, is that one person's primary love language may not be the primary love language of their spouse, and vice versa. It is easier for a person to think and act according to their love language; as the author does well in expressing, to truly show love, one must work at communicating and expressing in the primary love language of the beloved.Chapman goes through each love language in some depth and provides a way forward for working through difficulties that one encounters in relationships because the "love tank" has been emptied and people are not speaking the "love language" of the other. He also has recommendations for those who find themselves in a relationship where one partner is not as on board as the other. Some questions and answers and a love language test are in appendices.I have now gone through the book twice; once early in marriage, and now again. I have found three books/principles most useful in terms of relationships: Love & Respect, Boundaries, and these 5 love languages. Very much recommended, not only for those in marital or pre=marital relationships, but also the later derivative works for those who may be single, parents, children, etc., for understanding communication of love.
I really enjoyed what Chapman had to say about love and communication. Many of his ideas were based off common sense, making them easy to utilize once they're in your mind. I plan on implementing some of his concepts immediately.
Like most relationship books, how helpful this is depends on how many you've already read. All common sense gets redundant after a while. The premise is true enough, except for the fact that there are more than five basic needs out there. My boyfriend found a 'love language' in the book to fit him perfectly, but although my own need is just as straightforward, you can't contort any of the given five to fit it. And there's no way I'm unique there. The religion angle was significantly more low key than I was expecting. Again, that perspective depends on what you've already read. The case study examples really got repetitive, but I'm not sure what would have been a better way to do it. Some of his advice definitely only works for certain personality types and -- probably more important -- certain subcultures, but he's pretty up front about that too.
I enjoyed this book. If you are having marrital problems, seek a counselor, but if you want to learn how to communicate more effectively, this is a good place to start.
A very fine work on relationships, probably the best I have read. Chapman has discovered something striking and something very true, and the understanding of these Love Languages has explained a great deal in my own life. It is too early to understand completely how my own marriage will change because of this book, but it will change.
The ideas expressed in this book are pretty routine for marriage counseling these days. But his way of puting it all together in this book is easy and accesable. A must for all marraiges.
I learned more about my wife by reading this book than any other book out in print. Read this to help your marriage, save your marriage. This book will change you marriage for the best.
This is a fabulous book that takes a look at the five love languages that every human being speaks. It's a wonderful read, and really helped me out a lot in my marriage!
This was a very quick and easy read. Some of it seemed rather intuitive, but the insights around even these parts were enough for me to give this a very high rating and recommend this. (Plus, they have a quiz and I'm a sucker for those.)
I've heard people talk about this book and their own love languages for years and always kind of rolled my eyes. I've encountered so many times in the past few weeks that I finally decided to get a copy and read it myself...fully expecting...nothing. My apologies Mr Chapman! Hands down the best book on marriage I've ever encountered and has utterly changed my perspective on all I once thought wrong with my vews on marriage. People often use the term "life changing" far too easily...this book truly is.
I recently reread it because it was the only reading material in my car when it was getting serviced. How do you express love? This is the question Gary asks but also answers in helping us understand that everybody expresses love in some form or another. I read this years ago and before reading it avoided it because it just sounded so corny. Please don't let the title fool you. This is a great starter read in recognizing how we express love differently and also how we can best help our partners appreciate the love we have for them.Gary breaks down the love we express into 4 outcomes: Acts of Service, Quality Time, Physical Touch, Gifts, and Affirmation. He them breaks them down to help us understand how we express love. Gary says to help others understand that we need to communicate to them in their love language.Yes, it is simplistic and a little corny, but it is excellent starting material for married couples!
What's the deal with having to choose a PRIMARY love language? I like them all, I think my primary love language is all 5 categories. I'm either very easy to please or very high maintenance--I haven't decided which.
Want to make a bad marriage good? A good marriage very good? A very good marriage great? Wanna go straight from bad to great? Read this book, preferably in tandem with your mate, absorb the information, and it most likely will net the results you want. I promise. This book is worth its salt.
A wedding gift from my sister, who claimed it was a "must-read" for everyone married. I have to admit, it was probably the most important book I've read in many years, as it teaches you how to make a marriage successful again after you've "fallen out of love." Fortunately, I read it while I was still in the fairytale "in love" phase (which fortunately I'm still in) so that I'm not disillusioned when humdrum reality sets in, which is inevitable.
Chapman has identified that we all have a different way of expressing love and different ways that we prefer to receive love. If your "love language" does not match up with your partner, you're in for some trouble. Identifying your "love language" (and your partner's) allows you to communicate effectively what you need, and what you need to do for your partner, to "keep the love tank filled". Sounds corny, totally. But I found it very insightful and true.
Chapman has identified that we all have a different way of expressing love and different ways that we prefer to receive love. If your "love language" does not match up with your partner, you're in for some trouble. Identifying your "love language" (and your partner's) allows you to communicate effectively what you need, and what you need to do for your partner, to "keep the love tank filled". Sounds corny, totally. But I found it very insightful and true.
The 5 languages of love by which we communicate our love for each other, but some of us speak one language and some another. We need to find the language our loved speaks in and learn that way of communication as a second language.
My husband and I enjoyed reading this book together for our Christian book club at church. We feel that the information is good for those who do not intuitively know how to love their spouse in their own love language.
Like most self-help books, this is verbose and repetitive beyond comprehension. What is presented in over 100 pages can be easily summarized in less than 2. In fact, reading book cover will provide the same information. It simplifies lots of things, invokes Jesus God at every other page, and has conversation which hardly look realistic. However, like some self-help books, this may be useful, if applied correctly.
This should be required reading for all couples. Seriously, they should pass free copies out when you apply for a marriage license, sorta like the driver's license manual.
Before I read this book, I thought love is love, right? Not necessarily. Some people feel most loved when their significant other uses positive words of affirmation, some feel that the amount of quality time equals how much they are loved, while others believe that the amount of gifts, acts of service, and physical touches represents how loved they are. Once a person learns which of these "love languages" is their significant other's primary love language, and vice versa, they have the key to a more emotionally satisfying relationship.
I am very impressed with Gary Chapman's theory. I received this book as a bridal shower gift, and I certainly will be giving other copies as gifts in the future.
Before I read this book, I thought love is love, right? Not necessarily. Some people feel most loved when their significant other uses positive words of affirmation, some feel that the amount of quality time equals how much they are loved, while others believe that the amount of gifts, acts of service, and physical touches represents how loved they are. Once a person learns which of these "love languages" is their significant other's primary love language, and vice versa, they have the key to a more emotionally satisfying relationship.
I am very impressed with Gary Chapman's theory. I received this book as a bridal shower gift, and I certainly will be giving other copies as gifts in the future.
I don't typically read books like this, but after bearing off a year long engagement to a man I'd been with for almost 6 years, I took a chance with it. I knew I had made mistakes with him, and I knew that I was feeling disappointed in the way he'd interacted with me for years, but I didn't quite know why. Gary Chapman articulated exactly how I felt and gave me an explanation as to why I felt the way I did. It was really quite incredible, discovering things about myself after all those years of being with someone, thinking we were doing it right. This book really does give a very clear and concise understanding into the different ways people express and accept love, and I strongly encourage couples to read it together. Even if you're not having problems, but especially if you are, The Five Love Languages is a great jumping off point to trying to fix what might seem irreparably broken.
Great book on figuring out how best to relate to the differnt people in your life
I don't read a lot of self-help type books, but I often have the same problem with the ones I have: they have a center of good information wrapped up in annoying presentation. The 5 Love Languages fits that description. The idea at the core of the book--that different people communicate love differently--seems like a pretty good one, but I found that "save your marriage by learning your spouse's love language" presentation irritating, both because it's oversimplistic and because it unnecessarily limits the usefulness of this information--this approach to thinking about communicating would work with anyone you care about and certainly isn't relevant to couples only if things are bad between them. I also found Chapman's discussion of some thorny issues (like abuse, like depression) waaaay too simplistic and lacking in the appropriate level of outreach (which could be as simple as offering contact information for support groups) to readers who might need help. If you can get past those presentation irritations (or if they don't bother you), there's some good info here. Over years of counseling couples (it's unclear to me whether Chapman has any training in counseling or if he just has a lot of experience through religious organizations--I think it's the latter, and while that means I probably wouldn't seek him out for therapy, it doesn't, in my mind, disqualify him from sharing what he's learned through that experience), Chapman realized that not everyone expresses love in the same way and not everyone "hears" expressions of love in the same way. He lists the five ways he's observed couples express (and receive) love: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. He claims that for most people, one of these ways will be more effective than the others (and that one or two of them will have little effect whatsoever). Problems can arise if one tries to express her love in a way (a "language") that is ineffective for the recipient. So, if one's "love language" is quality time and one's partner (or mother or friend or whoever; I maintain that there's no reason this should be limited to romantic partners) spends very little time with one but gives one lots of gifts, one will not feel very loved. It's kind of a simple concept but I can see how individuals could easily miss that their way of saying "I love you" just isn't being heard.I picked this up because it is everywhere, and my curiosity about it eventually just wore me down. Not a bad read, and does have some good advice at the center. Worth a spin through, but probably good choice for taking out of the library.
Awesome book! It's helped me better understand how to communicate with my husband, sister, parents and even close friends.
You've got to read this book. It will open your eyes in terms of understanding your spouse. It is a quick, easy read with simple ideas that will make a profound difference in your relationship.