Sonnie Hiles

This Is Why You’re Such A Good Friend, According To Your ‘Love Language’

1. Quality Time

Youโ€™re the type who sincerely enjoys the company of others, and when youโ€™re there youโ€™re really there. You donโ€™t let outside distractions like your cell phoneย preventย you fromย giving someoneย your full attention. You make eye contact and you listen intently, which makes people feel heardโ€”and understood. Since you value time with others so much, youโ€™re also always willing to go out of your way to meet up with a friend, especially a friend in need. Those closest to youย know they can count on you to meet up at the drop of the hat. When something goes really wrong (breakups, problems at work, a death in the family), youโ€™re the first person peopleย callย for an emergency pick-me-up hangout sesh. Youโ€™re also the oneย theyย reach out toย when things go right and itโ€™s time to celebrate.

2. Physical Touch

You never hesitate to demonstrate affection, and you fully understand that touching can be meaningful even when itโ€™s asexual. Your ability to harness the powers of human contact without making others feel at all uncomfortable is what makes you such a great friend. Youโ€™re the one who offers a big bear hug in greeting, who forces even the shyest people to wrap their arms around youย and bathe in the positive energy that can only be transmitted through physical connection. You donโ€™t even have to say much because your kindhearted, touch-feely behavior does the talking for you. You shake hands firmly, and kiss people on the cheek enthusiastically. You make people feel warm and fuzzy through interacting with them physically, something that getsย lost too often in an age in which everyone spends so much time hidingย behindย screens.

3. Words of Affirmation

You donโ€™t even have to be present to turn someoneโ€™s day around. Since you understand the impact words can have, you specialize in doling out encouragingย statementsย to friends and family whenever theyโ€™re needed. People know that they can ring you up when theyโ€™re feeling a little down and that youโ€™ll say exactly the right thing to cheer them up. You donโ€™t even have to dig deep to find the right affirmations, and you say them like you mean themโ€”because you do. You see the proverbial silver lining in most situations and you have an uncanny ability to articulate what you see, sharing the beauty of positivity with thoseย you love. Youโ€™re alsoย particularly good at maintaining relationships across long distances.

4. Receiving Gifts

Sinceย youโ€™re fluent in the language of giving, youโ€™re an expert at demonstrating how much you care through small, thoughtful gifts. You rarely show up anywhere empty-handed, but you tend to go beyond the typical in selecting presents. Instead of a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers, you might attend a housewarming party with a wand of sage because your host once offhandedly mentioned that she loved thatย scent. Youโ€™re the one who remembers to bake cookies for a friendโ€™s birthday, and who picks up a littleย somethingย on the way to meeting up with so-and-so because you just canโ€™tย help yourself. You canโ€™t help buying thatย trinket you spotย in the shop window that reminds you so much of your old college friend of your aunt Jane or your third cousin Marty, either. You spread joy constantly by distributing tiny reminders to loved ones that you really do care enough to stop in your tracks and grab a little something extra to express your heartfelt appreciation for them.

5. Acts of Service

Youโ€™re not the type who does kind things seekingย credit or acknowledgement. The very act of doing something nice to ease a friendโ€™s burden and elevate their experience of the world fulfills you. Sinceย you donโ€™t actively seek accolades, your kindnesses sometimes go unnoticed, but thatโ€™s okay with you. You trust innately in the value of good deeds, knowing in your heart that the spirit of generosity through service is contagious. Youโ€™re the type who does someone a favor before they even think to ask for it. Youโ€™re keenly aware of how you can help out, and you actually follow through whenever possible, taking pleasure in alleviating the load that falls on friends, whether or not they know it.