PDF version A milk jug is an object with an evident utilitarian function—consumption. However, the Turkana women cherish the milk jug as an aesthetic object. What is so special about milk and the milk jug? The Multivocality of Symbols Symbols … Continue reading
Category Archives: language of Love
Sex and the Sacred in North American Indigenous Art
PDF version Anthropologist Charles Lindholm (2006) writes about romantic love as a yearning for the sacred. According to philosopher Irving Singer (1984), romantic love is a combination of various aspects of love, ranging from the libidinal to the ideal. The … Continue reading
What Love Languages Are and Whether We Should Know Them
Over 30 years ago, Baptist pastor Gary Chapman introduced a theory of love languages, suggesting five typical ways people express and perceive love. His book “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” has become very popular since … Continue reading
Love Songs Are Not Universal Across Cultures
Music seems a universal language of love, and love songs are cross-culturally recognizable and understandable. The writer John Anderer illustrates that it might be right to refer to the iconic song “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” a song by English … Continue reading
What Can Our Body Language Tell Us About Love and Relationship?
The popular scientific and self-help publications widely advise us about our body language and what it tells us about our feelings, attitudes, and love. How valid are all these advices? Subtle facial and bodily movements are often cited as giveaways … Continue reading
How Affectionate Touch Influences Our Romantic Relationships
Men and women express their love for a partner in a relationship in a variety of verbal and nonverbal ways. Affectionate touch of various kinds is among the important nonverbal channels for lovers to express love in the intimate relationships. … Continue reading
How Affectionate Touch Expresses Love to a Romantic Partner
Men and women use many verbal and nonverbal ways to express their love for a partner in a relationship. Affectionate touch of various kinds is among the major nonverbal channels to express romantic love that lovers use in their intimate … Continue reading
Why Do We Need Laughter and Smiles?
Smiling and laughing are the natural expressions of human emotions in relationships with others. The cultural norms regarding their expressions, however, vary across cultures. People in some Western cultures, such as the European-American one, commonly use them. People in other … Continue reading
Sexual Love in Cultural Contexts
As I explained in another article, many scholars and laypeople equate sex, sexual love, and erotic love. However, I believe researchers should distinguish between these concepts because they mean somewhat different things (Karandashev, 2022). Sexual love is intense feelings of … Continue reading
Emoji Love and Other Emotions in the Virtual World
In modern culture, it seems easy to guess what “heart” and especially “red heart” mean. Guess what? Love! So, the corresponding symbols are common in modern virtual world. The emoji ❤️ adopted the same meaning social media messages. The red heart … Continue reading