If you’ve ever been to Paris you’ve probably noticed something that we rarely do in the United States: Excessive PDA. For reasons, I, an American, will never truly understand, the French can’t go anywhere without being all up on each other. All you have to do is go for a walk through Parc des Buttes-Chaumont on a nice day and you’ll see French people in love practically fornicating right then and there, without a care in the world as to who might be watching. But while this is the type of thing that might make some of us cringe, studies have found that all this PDA is good for your relationship, and, surprisingly, these studies were not conducted in France.
One study out of Ohio State University found that couples who are intimate both behind closed doors and out in the open, tend to be more satisfied in their relationships than those who don’t participate in all that lovey-dovey action. Even just engaging in a few kisses here and there, in front of the prying eyes of passing strangers, is great for mental health and contributes to the overall happiness of couples.
Another study out of the University of Utah found that when we’ve reached ultimate comfortableness with our partner, it’s then that all this gross, “OMG I love you so much let’s make out right here and not care who sees,” kicks into overdrive. These feelings of closeness that result in such intensity are also super beneficial for our physical health, cutting down on high blood pressure, heart attacks, and diabetes. Maybe that’s why France has the lowest rate of heart disease in the world , despite consuming mass amounts of cheese and other fatty goodness, as if everyday is their last day on the planet.
It’s also been found that couples who actively display their affection for their partner, no matter where they are, have more sex, because, well, obvs. If you’re all but doing it on a park bench, then of course you’re having lots of sex at home and it’s probably passionate and mind-blowing, and all those things you see in movies.
While Americans may never get to the point where we’re as comfortable with showing our affection for our loved ones like the French, or other Western European countries (I’m looking at you, Italy and Spain), if we can find a happy medium that might be a good thing.
So the next time you’re out in public and your love for your partner overwhelms you so much that you just have to lay a big, fat, wet kiss on them, then do it. If some uptight onlooker wants to judge, let them. It’s better to be the person in an awesome relationship than the stranger on the street gawking and secretly wishing they had it so good.
Images: Caitee Smith/Flickr; Giphy(2)
