What other ways do you spread love to different cultures? Please click here to share your ideas.
Love
Different Cultures
Love is something everyone experiences in their own way, and it is something that can be expressed in many different ways. When you go abroad to other countries, love is often expressed differently from how it is where you live. This highlights the cultural differences of love. Depending on the culture, love can be expressed very casually or very privately. An article from The Daily Titan examined the different ways through which love is expressed around the world. Below are some cultures that portray love in unique ways:
Love
Different Cultures
Japan: In Japan, touching is unwelcome during conversations, especially between two people of the opposite sex. Gestures are often considered an unnecessary form of expression in Japan. Japanese couples tend to enjoy picture booths, bowling, dinner dates, movies, and coffee shops. In high school, males are still considered boys and are not considered men till they graduate from high school.
Love
Different Cultures
Eastern France: Eye contact is essential. Despite the fact the French are initially somewhat guarded, young people and love birds aren’t too shy to engage in public displays of affection and can be seen laying in parks or embracing in movie theaters. “The stronger symbol of romantic love is quite classical,” said Simon Higel, a Parisian native. “The man offers flowers to the lady and invites her to a nice restaurant with candles on the table. This is the best rendezvous in the French way.”
Love
Different Cultures
Senegal, Africa: A foreigner in Dakar, the capital of the country, might notice two men holding hands quite naturally, a sign that could be interpreted in America as a sign of homosexuality. In Senegal, however, such physical contact is common between friends. This is not to say that love is expressed openly. Senegal has many strict conventions for men and women, as seen by Kristen Russell, a foreign exchange student from the University of Michigan. She states, “I spent some time in a suburb of Dakar and stayed at my friend Amed’s house,” and “Since Amed is the oldest male that lives there, he is the man of the house. He does not lift a finger. When he wants a glass of water, someone goes and fetches it for him.”
Love
Different Cultures
As you can see, the way people express love can vary among cultures, but not everyone from the same culture expresses love the same either. People from Singapore are often very expressive with love, yet despite this, some Singaporeans, like Chrystal Hooi who is a contributor for medium.com, have difficulty expressing love. She states that these cultural norms are not always representative of the people who live there, and she encourages everyone to learn about different languages to gain insight into different cultures.
Love is not always as simple as some cultural stereotypes may depict, but that’s not to say love isn’t shown in every culture. All cultures experience love in some way, it may just be a little more subtle and take a trained eye to spot.
What other ways do you spread love to different cultures? Please click here to share your ideas, we’d all love to learn more ways to spread love! Be loving. Take care and stay connected.
