The Best Ways To Demonstrate Romantic Love

Romantic love often conjures the image of dramatic displays of affection carried out in the pouring rain, usually accompanied by powerful declarations of undying love and sacrifice. Typically, these scenes end with some tears and a kiss. While this might be an effective method of demonstrating love on television screens-or even in some books-it is the far more reasonable, down-to-earth, everyday acts, like celebrating "A Hug Day" that consistently and effectively demonstrate romantic attraction and love for one's partner. 

If you want to strengthen your relationship and learn new ways to show your romantic partner love, read further to expand your knowledge about the different kinds of love you can express. 

Identifying romantic love

Demonstrating romantic love and platonic love might intersect. Sacrifice, affection, and consideration are all. Affection for the people closest to you, whether that means your parents, close friends, or your romantic partner, will often have these attributes. What will likely differentiate romantic love is not merely the type of displays you offer, but the format in which you deliver them, and the results you hope to see.

Differentiating romantic love from platonic or familial love is likely to involve an evaluation of physical attraction, as very few romantic entanglements are entered into without some form of physical attraction present. In some cases, physical attraction comes on the heels of emotional attachment. But it is more likely that at least an emotional connection will precede emotional attachment, if not physical attraction alone.

Romance and new romantic love

Demonstrations of love for new love interests will differ significantly from displays created for more mature loves. New love is often filled with infatuation, feelings of intensity, and even stress. It is also often the time for grandiose displays of affection, with over-the-top declarations and gifts. After all, this is the time you are still working to impress your significant other and do anything to encourage them to stick around. You may not be ready to reveal everything to this person just yet, but there are a lot of ways to show that you love them.

To demonstrate appreciation and romantic love for a new partner, you might begin by making it official on social media, such as Instagram. One study found that couples who had one another in profile pictures and who regularly commented on their significant other's photos and posts reported greater contentment and satisfaction in their relationships. They were perceived to be happier by others as well. Taking a few minutes to make your relationship official on social media is a simple show of love for each other. However, check in with your partner to ensure they feel comfortable giving this information. Many people prefer to keep their personal lives discreet, and this preference must be validated. 

Introducing your new partner to your friends and family is another way to show you love your partner. Inviting your flame into your life by introducing them to the people with whom you are close demonstrates your love, your commitment, and your interest in keeping them in your life.

Romance and seasoned love

Once you have been together for a little while, the declarations and demonstrations of love tend to get a bit less frequent and less involved. In a relationship, as time goes on, the infatuation begins to fade. This can be an incredible time; you might not feel butterflies each time you see your partner anymore, but you can feel safe and loved. This mature relationship provides friendship and support, in addition to passion. Even then, there are distinct ways to show your love to your partner. Inviting your partner to join you in one of your longstanding hobbies can demonstrate love and emotional intimacy. You may have talked about musicals for the past two years of your relationship but have managed to keep that love all to yourself. Inviting your partner to join in your hobby with you can demonstrate how much you truly care and how excited you are to have them in your life.

Sitting down to plan for your future is another way to show your love for your partner. If you have been together for a few months or a couple of years, creating plans for your future together is a romantic pursuit that shows your partner that you see a future with them. These plans can be down-to-earth and simple (What will our house look like? How many pets will we have?) or grandiose and exciting (What countries will we visit? What kind of people will we be? What dreams will we have accomplished together?).

Romance and weathered love

Demonstrating affection in five-year-old, 10-year-old, or older relationships, you might have to get a little more creative. By this time in a relationship, many of the standard displays of affection have become routine. You might offer a kiss at the end of the day as a matter of habit, provide a back rub at the close of a long workday as a matter of course, or eat dinner together on the couch while watching TV and not speaking a word. There is beauty in this, too. You have reached a level of comfort and familiarity with one another that allows for acceptance of seemingly bland day-to-day activities. Despite the sometimes-mundane nature of relationships that have reached maturity, there are still plenty of ways to demonstrate love and affection.

Recreate a date from the past. In recreating a date from the past, you are pulling double duty by showing your partner that you remember a date from long ago and recreating some of the magic you experienced when your relationship was fresh. This is a particularly useful demonstration of love if the two of you have been feeling distant or have not been getting out much. It shows that you desire to reconnect and strengthen your relationship- and that is incredibly romantic as love ages. You might make a reservation at the restaurant where you had your first date or leave love notes or chocolate treats around the house for your spouse.

Do the day-to-day things together. Washing dishes is a part of life. Mowing lawns, getting haircuts, buying groceries-these are all basic aspects of being an adult human, regardless of where you are or what all the other details of your life look like. To show your partner you care, make a point to engage in these tasks together. Take time to stand in the kitchen, do dishes together, and talk about your day. Go get groceries together and each choose a dish to make that you have never tried. Pay your bills together, run errands together-choose to spend quality time together even in the boring moments, as these are a big part of what strengthens your commitment to one another, and cements your bond.

Best demonstrations of romance

Flirting

Flirting is one of the best ways to demonstrate love, whether you have been together for a few days or a few decades. Flirting demonstrates your preference for your partner above all others and creates a bond that is unique to the two of you. Flirting can mean acknowledging your partner's success in a group of people and praising their success or can mean whispering a cute, teasing comment in your partner's ear when the two of you are alone.

Touching

Touching is another way of demonstrating love that is vital for all stages of love, from the fledgling affair to the mature marriage. Touch does not have to be overtly sexual in nature, or even particularly robust. Instead, a simple touch on the small of your partner's back or brushing hair away from your loved one's forehead can speak volumes about how you feel about them. As a bonus, skin-to-skin contact releases bonding hormones and spurs the production of feel-good hormones.

Honesty

However, it might not always seem like a show of love to engage with your partner honestly. It demonstrates your concern for your relationship's welfare and reveals your willingness to partner together — even when the partnership might be less than pleasant.

Listening

Listening is one of the most important ways to show that you care and to promote a healthy relationship. As you are listening, focus on the words your partner is saying and not on what you will say in response. Improving communication can send your partner the message that you want to strengthen your bond and that you value their advice.

There are a lot of small ways to show love — in fact, sometimes, it is the small things that help build the foundation of a healthy relationship. Small gestures, such as getting your partner’s favorite snack on the way home, can make a big difference. Ask your partner to take a walk with you, write an extra special note for them, or surprise them with breakfast in bed or a small gift. A small gesture could involve picking a night to cook dinner for your partner so that you can have a nice conversation.

Demonstrating powerful romantic love

Delivering powerful displays of romantic love does not look like the rain and drama of movies and television. It does not necessarily require enormous sacrifice, cross-country treks, or the abandonment of one's family. Instead, the greatest demonstrations of romantic love can be found in the small, daily demonstrations, where you make an effort to show your partner that you choose them day in and day out, above everyone else in the world.