On Valentine’s Day, the Center for Health Promotion and Wellness aimed to start a discussion with students about healthy relationships and how to effectively communicate with loved ones.
Attendees completed a test to find out which one of the five “love languages” best described them: quality time, acts of service, words of affirmation, receiving gifts or physical touch.
After finishing the test and receiving their results, students got into groups with others of the same love language and created vision boards to represent their love language. Volunteers provided stacks of magazines, scissors, glue and poster boards for the project.
Once all of the groups finished, they shared their vision boards and thoughts on their love languages.
Gregg Johnson, from the Center for Relationship Education, spoke to students about how to define love.
“In America — particularly in the English language — we only have one word for love, and that’s ‘love,’” Johnson said. “But I know you don’t feel the same way about chicken as you do your mom. I love chicken. I love my mom. That can’t be on the same level, right?”
Johnson explained the different ways people define love and what definitions should apply to certain situations. He emphasized the importance of knowing the differences between unconditional love and other types of love.
“I’m about to ring a bell in your life,” Johnson said. “Once you hear this bell, the next person that comes to you with some weak expression of love, you’re going to look at them and say, ‘That’s cute.'”
Johnson said that love is choosing the highest good for someone, and he also made it clear to students that love will always involve pain and disappointment.
“Remember that love is a choice,” Johnson said. “Love has to be a choice because the truth of the matter is sometimes other people we love act unlovely. When that happens, you have to make a choice, that ‘I’m going to love you in spite of it.’”
