Valentine’s and Galentine’s Day mean that love is in the air a little extra this month! And part of celebrating these sappy holidays is placing an extra focus on how to show your love to those you deeply care for. If you know someone who loves compliments and validation, they likely have a words of affirmation love language. Keep reading to explore more about the words of affirmation love language, its unique nuances, and examples of how to show it.
Love Languages
In case love languages are totally new to you, a love language signifies the way that you naturally show and receive love with someone else. It is important to recognize love languages to ensure that efforts of love are recognized and valued by the other person, rather than facing a disconnect. As this is the third article in our love languages series, see this first article on Acts of Service Love Language to learn more about the basics of love languages. You can also check out the Quality Time Love Language here.
The words of affirmation love language can be one of the trickier love languages to understand. There is a fine line between the want for affirmation stemming from feeling loved versus insecurity. It is important to recognize this to ensure you are not validating the other person’s self-worth. There are also different types of affirmation that different individuals may seek, depending on what they value. Keep reading below for more on this!
What is the Words of Affirmation Love Language?
The words of affirmation love language is when someone feels loved through hearing positive sentiments about themself. This can be anything from the validation of emotions to a simple compliment.
It is important to recognize that different people might look for different words of affirmation. For example, someone more focused on their appearance might enjoy compliments about their appearance. In contrast, someone who cares more about intellectual abilities might not care for physical compliments and may wish to hear validation of their smartness instead.
Looking away from traditional compliments, the words of affirmation love language can go even deeper. Some versions of this love language might be about someone’s opinion being heard, enjoying time spent with them, or validating important life decisions they are making. The easiest way to find out what is important to your loved one is to ask them how they see their best selves. Additionally, you can pay attention to how they respond when you share different words of affirmation with them and see what means the most.
25 Examples of Words of Affirmation
- “I love you.”
- “You can do this.”
- “I’m so grateful to have you in my life.”
- “You look amazing.”
- “I can’t imagine what you must be feeling, and I am here for you.”
- “I love hearing your point of view.”
- “You always know how to make me smile.”
- “I love spending time with you.”
- “I miss you.”
- “This food you made is delicious.”
- “I value your opinion.”
- “You are so strong.”
- “I know you will make the right choice.”
- “I’m proud of you.”
- “You make me a better person.”
- “Did you get a haircut? It looks nice.”
- “You deserve all the happiness in the world.”
- “I still have the biggest crush on you.”
- “I appreciate how hard you work.”
- “Thank you for doing that”
- “I trust you.”
- “You are the first person I want to tell when something good or bad happens.”
- “You are my best friend.”
- “I love hearing your voice.”
- “I love how I can always count on you.”
While these are some great examples to start with, words of affirmation have no limits! As you start implementing them in your relationship, they will likely start coming to you more naturally. To think of your own words of affirmation, try focusing on what you love about the other person, how you believe in them, and the positive things you believe they need to hear. If the person you love has a words of affirmation love language, they will feel so loved!