Married men and women show love in different ways according to a new study.
Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin just completed a study that examines "the widely accepted premise that men and women 'love differently'." The study used data from 4 points of 13-year marriages. Surprisingly, it found both genders equally likely to show love through affection.
Researchers found that wives tended to show love by giving their sticks a rest. That is, they engage in "fewer negative or antagonistic behaviors." What does that mean? It means that to show love, women nag less and shorten their honey-do lists. Men showed love by offering carrots. (Stop snickering.) I mean, men show love by offering rewards; ie - initiating sex, sharing leisure activities and helping with housework.
What was the conclusion? The study found that men have been getting short-changed. Society has widely considered women to be out-and-out better than men at showing love in relationships. It turns out, both men and women show love in "more nuanced ways than cultural stereotypes suggest."
I guess the ways we show love are as big, and wide and vast as the ways we experience it. To me, it's just more proof that love can't be limited, labeled or defined. It only makes sense that the same philosophy applies to lovers.