Make your partner feel loved by embracing the differences between you.

Love is a universal emotion that transcends cultures, languages, and boundaries.  

It’s a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that can be expressed and experienced in different ways.  

On 1 hand it’s something we almost can’t live without, we are driven to find love.

On the other, it’s like a drug we addict to and when we are apart from our love the withdrawal fells almost the same.

And a 2016 study from the National Library of Medicine showed that love has very similar feelings to addiction in both the euphoria we feel together and anxiety when we part.

One of the factors that can influence how we show and receive love is our gender. 

Men and women have different ways of looking at the world and our relationships. 

Below are the differences in how a man and woman wants to feel loved and how you can show your love to your partner in the way they best understand.

What’s the difference between how men and women want to be loved? 

Men and women are different. 

We want different things from our partners, and we look for different things to make us feel satisfied and uplifted in our relationships. 

• Men tend to value physical intimacy more than women. They feel loved when their partner is physically affectionate with them, such as holding hands, hugging, and kissing. Men also have a huge appreciation for when their partner initiates intimacy.  
• Women, on the other hand, tend to value emotional intimacy more than men. They feel loved when their partner listens to them, shows empathy, and validates their feelings. Women also appreciate when their partner does thoughtful things for them like surprise gifts or a special date.  
• Both men and women value communication in a relationship. However, they may have different communication styles. Men are often much more direct and straightforward while women tend to use more indirect language and non-verbal cues.   
• Trust is another important aspect of a loving relationship for both men and women. While trust is a foundation of a relationship, we have different ways of building trust. Men tend to feel more secure when they feel their partner’s loyalty and faithfulness to them while women tend to seek that security from emotional availability and support.  
• Respect. Both men and women want to feel respected in a relationship. However, they may have different ideas of what respect looks like. Men may feel respected when their partner admires their accomplishments or supports their goals. Women feel respected when their thoughts and opinions are listened to and taken seriously by their partner.  

How Women Should Show Love to Their Man 

Men are often stereotyped as being tough, rational, and independent. 

However, men also have emotional needs and vulnerabilities that they may not always express openly or clearly.  

Men want to feel respected, appreciated, and admired by their partner. 

They also want to feel needed, desired, and trusted by their partner. 

And how we perceive our partner’s role towards us has been shown to genuinely affect our relationship satisfaction.

Some of the ways that women can show love to their man are: 

• Respect his opinions and decisions, even if you disagree with them 
• Appreciate his efforts and achievements, even if they seem small or insignificant 
• Admire his skills and talents, even if they are different from yours 
• Need his help and advice, even if you can do things on your own 
• Desire his touch and intimacy, even if you are not in the mood 
• Trust his intentions and actions, even if they are not what you expected 

Download a free HD pdf of the infographic here.

How Men Should Show Love to Their Woman 

Women are often stereotyped as being emotional, intuitive, and dependent. 

And us men can often forget that women also have rational needs and strengths that they may not always acknowledge or utilize.  

Women want to feel loved, understood, and cherished by their partner. 

They also want to feel secure, supported, and valued by their partner. 

Some of the ways a man can show love to his woman are: 

• Love her unconditionally and consistently, even if she makes mistakes or changes 
• Understand her feelings and emotions, even if they seem irrational or confusing 
• Cherish her uniqueness and beauty, even if they are not conventional or ideal 
• Secure her safety and comfort, even if she can take care of herself 
• Support her dreams and goals, even if they are different from yours 
• Value her opinions and preferences, even if they are not the same as yours 

Related: Here’s 15 reasons why a woman’s beauty wont find her a husband

How to Bridge the Gap Between Love Languages 

While men and women have different primary ways of showing and receiving love, they are not mutually exclusive or incompatible.  

And so it’s important for us to acknowledge that men and women communicate differently and a huge part of our showing love is communicating it to them.

Both men and women need respect and love, appreciation and understanding, admiration and cherishing, neediness and security, desire and support, trust and value in a relationship.  

Therefore, it is important to learn how to communicate your love language clearly and respectfully, as well as how to understand and appreciate your partner’s love language. 

Here are some easy tips on how to bridge the gap between love languages in your relationship: 

• Recognize that your partner may have a different way of giving and receiving love than you do. Don’t assume that they know what you want or need, or that they don’t care about you if they don’t do what you expect them to do. Instead, try to see things from their perspective and appreciate their efforts. 
• Ask your partner what makes them feel loved or respected and share what makes you feel loved or respected. Be specific and concrete about what actions or words make you happy or unhappy. Don’t be afraid to express your feelings honestly and respectfully. 
• Show your partner love or respect in the way that they prefer, not in the way that you prefer. For example, if your partner values quality time, try to spend more time with them without distractions. If your partner values words of affirmation, tell them how much you love them and appreciate them often. 
• Appreciate the differences between you and your partner, rather than trying to change them or criticize them. Remember that your partner is a unique individual with their own personality, strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes etc. Celebrate the diversity in your relationship and learn from each other. 
• Love yourself and respect yourself first. You cannot give what you don’t have. If you don’t love yourself or respect yourself, you will have a hard time loving or respecting your partner. So, take care of yourself physically mentally emotionally spiritually Be confident in who you are what you have offer 

Related: 13 ways to get your man to start communicating today

Embrace the differences between how you and your partner want to be loved and strengthen your relationship 

Love is a universal emotion that transcends cultures languages boundaries. 

However, love is also a complex multifaceted phenomenon that can be expressed experienced different ways. 

And by understanding and embracing those differences in how we want to feel loved, you can restore the intimacy and strengthen the bonds of your relationship and push it to new levels.  

David N. Brace

David N. Brace is a relationship expert that lives what he preaches having built a 20-year happy marriage. Relationships take work and effort but if we are willing to do so and to keep growing as individuals, we can build something amazing that lasts a lifetime.

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