People have varying opinions about the boundaries of public display of affection.
It could be frustrating when people form an opinion on your public relationship with your spouse because of specific rules and regulations they feel you should abide by.
The question now is where to draw the line, knowing that the concept of socially acceptable behaviors is relative to time and location.
However, the scrutiny of public displays of affection has reduced drastically in this century compared to the 1990s, when people were overly sensitive to things.
But still, there is a limit to what you can do in public with your significant other.
What Exactly is a Public Display of Affection?
Any form of public intimacy between two people in a relationship or having an affair is regarded as PDA.
A couple usually considers it a show-off to give other people an impression that they are genuinely in love with each other.
Such an open display of affection includes holding hands, kissing, holding each other in sensitive places, and making whatever other physical contact may indicate that they are a couple.
Public displays of affection can be cute to watch sometimes. Still, it can also annoy single adults because they may feel it is a deliberate attempt to remind them that they have no lover to shower them with such affection.
While you may be considering showing your partner some public affection, keep in mind that you may get embarrassed if you make certain public moves your significant other is uncomfortable with.
For example, if you grab your girlfriend’s butt in your house and she’s cool with it, you might want to try it in the open, like at the beach, expecting to get a welcome reaction, but then she turns around and snaps at you instead.
Indeed, it will stir up criticism from your audience, and you will come off as a jerk.
So, if she is cool with you doing it at home, why would she frown at you doing it in public? People feel embarrassed about doing certain things in public even though they are comfortable doing them privately.
That is why it is imperative to seek your partner’s consent and identify his or her public display of affection boundaries.
As times change, so does the mode of doing some things, and PDA is one of those things. Showing open affection to your significant other has gone past touching in public places with people you can see.
With social media sites like Facebook, which allow you to post pictures of your everyday life, some people have seized the opportunity to display their affection for the people they are in an intimate relationship with virtually.
Social media enables you to post pictures and videos of kissing, hugging, or even posing in a sexually suggestive position with your partner.
Your five thousand or more online friends can see how much in love you are and share your story virtually with their thousands of friends.
Some people put up relationship statuses and even tag their lovers to enable the rest of the world to view their lover’s profile and confirm that they are an item.
This is the form of PDA with the largest audience since forever, and lovers can’t seem to get enough of it.
What comes to mind when you see celebrities show off their relationship online? You probably would say, “Aww, this is so sweet” or get upset at how much they fill your timeline with what you feel should be kept private or minimized.
So, is PDA Healthy for Your Relationship?
Well, publicly doing things that suggest your affection for your partner could boost their confidence in your relationship.
It makes your lover feel that you are not ashamed of them, and want everyone paying attention to know that your partner means so much to you.
Furthermore, your partner feels secure when you engage in a public show of love.
It eliminates all suspicion of infidelity because your significant other would think that the message of there being someone in your life has been communicated to any other person who is interested in having an affair with you.
It might interest you to know that PDA also has some mental health benefits. Displaying your affection for someone you love in a public gathering could help them deal with anxiety and feel more comfortable.
Imagine how a plus-sized lady feels at the beach, filled with skinny ladies with flat tummies.
Having her husband or man hug and kiss her in front of all the other ladies could help her feel more comfortable in her skin and loosen up.
Furthermore, psychologically speaking, watching parents engage in PDA is healthy for the minds and bodies of their kids.
In recent studies, it has been discovered that children respond emotionally not only to the love their parents show them but also to the way their parents show they are in love.
It is not rare to see kids cry or fall sick when there is friction between their parents.
However, kids with allergic reactions or other health conditions are likely to feel better or at least have a lighter mood when they see their parents kiss because they find the act both cute and funny.
But you know there are levels to the things you should do in front of the kids.
Conclusively, PDA is great for your relationship as it is a way to express yourself without a care in the world if you are bold enough.
About getting scrutinized by your audience, don’t worry about what they think.
As long as you do not go all the way to have sex publicly and you have the consent of your spouse, you are doing nothing wrong.
Enjoy every moment with the person you love, and seize the opportunity of a PDA to strengthen your bond, reassure them of your loyalty, and improve your mental health.
Go ahead and kiss your lover at that fancy restaurant after dinner!
