BOOK REVIEW: THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES BY GARY CHAPMAN

The Five Love Languages is an exciting book written for couples by Dr. Gary Chapman. In the book, Dr Chapman makes the assertion that everyone has a love tank, and that a person’s sense of personal fulfillment is determined by how full the love tank is. He further asserts that a person’s love tank cannot be filled until his or her love language is spoken. The more a spouse’s love tank is filled, the better he/she feels.

Dr Chapman lists the five love languages as:

·        Words of Affirmation

·        Quality Time

·         Gifts

·        Acts of Service

·        Physical Touch

 He theorizes that everyone has a primary love language, and that the onus falls on each person to discover the love language of their spouse as a failure to do so may result in disagreements and lack of understanding. For instance, a man whose primary love language is Acts of Service will be happy when his wife cooks delicious meals, makes the bed, does the laundry, etc. If his wife’s primary love language is Gifts, however, and she often gives her husband gifts while leaving the house in disarray; they are likely to have troubles in the marriage. The wife will feel unappreciated while the husband will feel unloved.

The fact that the book is well illustrated with simple stories further adds to its appeal, and Dr Chapman’s sense of humour is quite refreshing. The book also has other sister love language books, such as:

And, wait for this...

Reading The Five Love Languages will make a person eager to know his / her own love language, and fortunately, a diagnostic tool is included at the end of the book to help readers ascertain their love language. This book is highly recommended for single and married couples.