Being in love is one of the best feelings. You want to be all over each other, you want to kiss, hold hands, and make goo-goo eyes at each other. But all this is true not only in your solitary moments together, but even when you are out in public. Some couples like to show their love, whereas some would prefer keeping the hands-on part of their relationship in their homes. No matter how conservative and private you want to be regarding your relationship, you cannot help showing some signs of affection towards your better half when you are out in public.
The different ways in which couples show their love for each other in public reflect deeply-rooted dynamics in their relationship. Since most couples engage in public displays of affection without being consciously aware of it, it is one of the most accurate ways of determining the kind of relationship that they share. Check out these common ways in which couples show their affection in public, and what it reveals about their relationship.
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1. Holding hands
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Although this is a common thing for couples to do in public, it also signifies certain characteristic traits about their relationship. Although some couples may think it is juvenile, the manner in which couples hold hands is important to determine the kind of relationship they share with each other. If you grip your better half’s hands lightly, then it suggests polite closeness, or even lack of passion and non-commitment towards your partner and the relationship that you share. However, if you interlock fingers and grip each other’s hands tightly, it suggests evident closeness and intimacy.
2. Linking arms with each other
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One of the things that many couples do is link arms with each other when they walk side by side in public. This is in fact one of the most comfortable positions to walk in, because it is neither too close for comfort, nor is it too formal. It also does not make passersby uncomfortable. Most importantly, it is possibly the strongest sign of you being a united couple with an “us against the world” attitude.
3. Arms around the waist
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This is another usual way couples walk together when they are outside, and it is also one of the most intimate forms of public display of affection. If you sling your arms around your partner’s waist or their hips, then it suggests a very close connection that you have established with them. It implies sensuousness, and it might also suggest that you touch other people while talking as well, that you are a physical person in general. However, it is also a very possessive gesture, because in this position, there is very little scope for movement. It is a sign to the world that you belong to each other.
4. Putting your hands in their pocket
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Sometimes you can see couples walking with their hands in each other’s back or side pockets. This might seem uncomfortable to onlookers because it is difficult to accomplish, but if you are the kind of lovebird who likes to be buried deep in each other’s pockets, then it suggests a playful, comfortable, and easygoing relationship, where you are not afraid to have fun with each other. It also brings you physically closer. Unless you are very physically intimate and comfortable with each other, you are not likely to engage in this kind of public display of affection.
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5. Making frequent eye contact
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You might not think that making eye contact counts as your PDA style, but it does, because to look into someone’s eyes is a very intimate gesture. When you look into the eyes of your beloved, you are able to communicate non-verbally, and eloquently explain all the emotions that you might not be able to otherwise. When you look into each other’s eyes very frequently, it suggests that you two completely understand each other, and are able to gauge each other’s feelings and emotions without being open or verbal about it. This is useful when you are in public, and the level of understanding that you have might be disconcerting to the people around you.
6. Playing with their fingers
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When you are out in public, you have to interact with other people as well. However, when couples talk to other people, it is sometimes seen that they tend to play with each other’s fingers, even when they are talking to someone else. This is a sweet and loving gesture, and it suggests and that even if they are mentally occupied with someone else at the moment, they have not forgotten the presence of their partner in the least bit, and they are constantly made to feel included and part of the interaction.
7. Gentle strokes and caresses
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Some couples are not comfortable with obvious displays of affection, and they tend to be more subtle when it comes to showing their partner that they are there and they are loved. This is manifested through little touches and small back rubs, which can be both relaxing and arousing. Such minute caresses and touches are not only useful to comfort your better half, but also indicate a mood for naughtiness and great physical intimacy. However, if the touches are rough and pushy, then your partner may have territorial tendencies and have an urge to control you.
8. Stroking/Holding each other’s necks
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This might not be that usual for couples to do in public, but nonetheless it is still a way of publicly displaying affection. There are a lot of nerve endings in the neck, and when someone strokes your neck you feel relaxed immediately. When couples do this, it means that they have established a mutual understanding, and in public they are able to understand each other’s discomfort and soothe it immediately.
9. A hug from the back
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Oftentimes we see couples hugging each other from the back when the other person is not expecting it, and this is a gesture that will inevitably make any onlooker smile instead of cringe because of its playfulness. The surprise embodied in the act is exactly what their relationship is like. In public, this is one of the sweetest gestures of public display of affection. However, in private, if you have a tendency of hugging each other from the back, you may be suffering from a lack of intimacy or the repulsion of it with your partner.
10. Kissing
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What could be a more blatant form of PDA other than kissing in public? Are you the couple who cannot keep their hands (and lips) off each other even when you are surrounded by completely unknown people? If kissing is the way in which you show your love for each other in public, whether on the road or on social media, then you have a free, open, and mutually loving relationship. Only those couples surrounded by physical affection and closeness and intimacy will not be intimidated by kissing in front of complete strangers.
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11. No public display of affection
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After reading through this list, you might be tempted to conclude that there is no security, no intimacy, no spice, and no love in your relationship just because you try to refrain from engaging in PDA. Calm down, because that is far from the truth. Sometimes, people compensate for the lack of spark in their personal relationship with a lavish display of PDA, just to convince the world that they are still hot and happening. If you do not feel the need to show the world how much you love each other, then it is a sign that you are extremely secure about each other, and you are able to act cordial and controlled in public without feeling insecure about your relationship.
These are all the PDA styles that couples usually resort to. What is your style of publicly displaying affection to your partner? Tell us in the comments below!
Featured image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
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