Name: Elena Cabrera

Master’s Thesis Defense Meeting

Date: Friday, April 12th, 2024

Time: 3:00 pm

Location: Microsoft Teams Meeting

Thesis Chair/Advisor:

Christopher Wiese, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Thesis Committee Members:

Meghan Babcock, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Title: The Five Love Languages Among Hispanic-, Asian-, African-, and European-Americans and Gender

Abstract: This cross-cultural study investigates the reception of the Five Love Languages across four cultural groups (White/Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino, East Asian, and Black/African American) and gender (female and male). A sample of 198 participants, evenly distributed across cultural and gender groups, completed the Five Love Languages (FLL) Subscale questionnaire, assessing their preferences for receiving love in relationships. Participants also completed an Acculturation Scale since all participants reside in the U.S. – further exploratory analyses were conducted from these results. Utilizing the FLL Subscale results and quasi-variables, several analyses of variances (ANOVAs) were conducted for each love language to assess the main effects of both culture and gender, as well as their interaction effects. The results revealed significant main effects for gender among the Acts of Service (F(1, 197) = [9.290], p = .003), Words of Affirmation (F(1, 197) = [6.430], p = .012), and Quality Time (F(1, 197) = [8.351], p = .004) love languages, with females preferring each compared to males. A significant main effect was revealed for culture among Gift Giving (F(3, 197) = [3.141], p = .026), with post-hoc analyses revealing a greater preference among Black/African American participants compared to White/Caucasian participants. Interaction effects were also present among all five love languages with post-hoc tests indicating nuanced variations in love language preferences across cultural groups and gender. Existing literature elucidated cultural and gender-specific factors influencing love language preferences, including familial expectations, societal norms, and individual values. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how culture and gender intersect in shaping relational dynamics and offer insights for promoting intercultural understanding and communication in diverse romantic relationships.