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What It Means To Have Quality Time As A Love Language + How To Show Love This Way
We all like to give and receive love in different ways, whether you're more physically or verbally affectionate or you relish in quality time with your partner. In recent years, these signs of affection have become known as the five love languages. They include physical touch, words of affirmation, acts of service, gifts, and quality time.
Knowing which of the five you gravitate toward can help you navigate relationships. Here, we dig into quality time, including how to know whether it's your love language and how to show it.
What is quality time?
Quality time is one of the five love languages, and it refers to showing love and affection by spending dedicated time together. For people whose love language is quality time, "nothing says 'I love you' like full, undivided attention from those you love," Gary Chapman, Ph.D., the marriage counselor who developed the love language theory, tells mbg. "Whether it's spending uninterrupted time talking with someone else or doing activities together, you deepen your connection with others through sharing time."
Importantly, you want your time together to feel special and sacred and to feel that you're both truly present—"with the TV off, fork and knife down, and phones and tasks on standby," he adds.
Summary
Signs your love language is quality time
Here are a few signs from Chapman and relationship counselor Margaret Paul, Ph.D. If you find most of these statements to be true, quality time is likely very important to you and possibly your primary love language.
- You feel lonely when you don't have enough time with your partner.
- Spending time together is incredibly important to you, more so than words, touch, gifts, or acts of service.
- Postponed activities or dates upset you.
- When you don't spend enough quality time with your partner, you may be turned off sexually.
- The time you spend together doing stuff, talking, or just hanging out is the highlight of your relationship.
- You get upset or feel disconnected if you don't spend enough time together.
- Distractions or feeling like someone isn't listening can be especially hurtful.
- You put a lot of emphasis on making your schedules work and making the time special.
How to show love to someone whose love language is quality time
Bake quality into your day
If your partner is someone who enjoys quality time, make an effort to have intentional, meaningful time together when you really feel like you're connecting. "Make it a point of planning quality into your day," Paul says. "It might be as simple as having a meal together, sitting on a patio together, or snuggling together when you wake up and sharing your dreams."
Start and end your day together
Chapman suggests starting your day off with something that allows you to chat and connect, like enjoying a cup of coffee before work. Likewise, find a meaningful way to come back together at the end of the day. "After work, set aside 10 minutes to catch up—no phones allowed," Chapman recommends. This will help you both unwind after the workday and talk about your day.
Of course, not all schedules will allow this, but planning for those times during the day when you can just be together and connect is important if your partner's love language is quality time.
Avoid distractions when you're together
People whose love language is quality time don't want any distractions to interrupt their time together.
"Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there makes you feel truly special and loved," Chapman explains. "Distractions, postponed activities, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful."
Make it a rule of thumb to not multitask when you're speaking with them, as this can be very bothersome.
Prioritize meaningful eye contact
The key with quality time is that it's, well, quality. Your partner ultimately wants to feel like they have your undivided attention if their love language is quality time. So, on top of just avoiding distractions, Chapman adds it's important to maintain eye contact when you're having a conversation, to enrich the moment and be fully present.
Be interested in what they're saying and feeling
The love languages are all about connecting through different means, and quality time can often take the form of conversation and discussion. Not to be confused with words of affirmation, which is more about saying "I love you" and other validating language, quality time is about presence.
"Be interested in what your partner is feeling and how their day was, and you share your feelings and how your day was," Paul notes.
When your partner is speaking to you, do your best to actively listen. That means limiting distractions as previously mentioned but also being sure not to interrupt, which can feel invalidating. Give signs that you're listening, acknowledge their feelings, and make them feel heard.
Plan date nights regularly
What couple doesn't need a solid date night, right? But if quality time is the primary way your partner recognizes affection, making those date nights a set part of your schedules is key. It gives them something to look forward to and feel like you're prioritizing spending time with them.
Plan staycations
It's always nice to have something to look forward to—and it doesn't always have to be anything extravagant. Beyond just the date nights, Chapman suggests planning a staycation every now and then to do something a little special and offer a more extended break to your routine that allows you to spend some really dedicated time together.
Avoid canceling plans
People whose primary love language is quality time will feel particularly hurt by canceled or postponed plans, says Chapman. That's because they see the time you spend with them as a sign of your love, so when you cancel or pass on spending time with them, they may take it as a sign that you're withholding affection or aren't as into them.
Of course, plans inevitably fall through sometimes, and everyone needs time to themselves every now and then. If you need to cancel plans or need more alone time in your relationship, make sure you let them know in a way that reinforces how much you love spending time with them and are looking forward to your next planned event together.
Have a daily ritual
Maybe it's taking a walk together after dinner, which Chapman recommends, or you have a hobby you both enjoy like journaling or playing music. Finding time to do something like that together every day, even if it's just 15 minutes, can go a long way for someone who has quality time as a love language.
Go to bed at the same time
If schedules allow, if you live with your partner, Chapman also suggests going to bed at the same time. Not only are you ending the day next to each other, but you can have some time together to connect before you say good night.
What is your love language?
But how do you know what your love language is? Here's a simple test to help you learn how you give and receive love.
The takeaway
While there is no foolproof way to perfectly maintain a relationship, understanding the love language of your partner, as well as how you like to give and receive love, can go a long way toward keeping the two of you content and connected. So, if you think you or your partner might just be speaking the language of quality time, schedule that date night soon and enjoy every moment.
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