Relationships

Couples Who Act Gross Together Are Happier, Healthier And Have More Sex

by Chris Riotta

When we fall in love and all the feels hit us right in the heart, it makes it hard not to constantly attack our baes with endless affection and better sex.

If you or someone you know is showing disgusting amounts of PDA, consider it a blessing in disguise: Couples who show their love for each other through affection are happier than ever and have found someone to share that beautiful (and semi-obnoxious) adorableness with.

I agree that there's no need for us to see you going ham on your boyfriend's mouth while we wait for the train, and maybe you shouldn't straddle the line between first and second base when we're out in public.

Let's keep the grossness level at PG, shall we?

However, it's not even necessarily their fault, either. Couples who act like fools in love have just managed to unlock the doors to their own little bubbles.

I'll admit I definitely act gross sometimes with my boyfriend, but it's only because he makes me happier than anything I've ever known.

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And it doesn't really matter to me that haters gonna hate because at the end of the day, I know I'm happier than I've ever been, and I'm at one of the healthiest points of my life.

Being gross is its own form of intimacy.

When we shower our partners with disgusting amounts of love, even if it's in front of a small crowd, party or dinner event, it's just because we feel incredibly warm and golden on the inside.

If you've ever been in love to the point where you want to take your boo by the shoulders and pin him or her against a wall so there's no escape from your affection, you know just how happy of a feeling that is. It's an incomparable joy.

So it's no wonder couples who can't help but gush over each other are actually happier than most.

Research from the Ohio State University shows couples who are more intimate are more likely to be satisfied and happy in their relationships than couples who refrain from showing love for each other too often.

The study involved 92 couples, 46 of which were unsatisfied and unhappy with their SO and 46 pairs who considered themselves mutually happy and satisfied with their partners.

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What's interesting is that the couples who agreed they were enjoying life with their better half admitted to being intimate with their partner.

Apparently, exchanging moments of love and contentment with your partner makes you more likely to be happier in your relationship. Who would've thunk it.

So for all the couples afraid to swap a few kisses or sweet nothings throughout the day, fear not. Doing so could be really good for your mental health.

Being comfortable in your relationship means being healthier, too.

Once we feel comfortable in our relationship, it's as if a certain filter we use on a daily basis just completely erases itself when we're with our partners.

We act incredibly gross around each other when we've reached our peak level of comfort and, in all honesty, it makes our relationships that much more rewarding.

CNN reports on a study performed at the University of Utah, in which scientists were interested in discovering the links between bad or failing relationships and human health.

Lumina

Researchers looked at 276 couples to see if depression was the only factor affected by a bad marriage. What they found was that an unhealthy union actually leads to much worse effects (but only in middle-aged women), including high blood pressure, extra belly fat and an increased risk of heart attack and diabetes.

Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist and medical director of New York University's Women's Heart Program, tells CNN,

I think we've got to get used to the fact that a toxic relationship is toxic to your whole health... There have been studies that show that if a marriage is stressful, not a good relationship, those women have higher rates of heart attack.

And what beats having a toxic relationship where neither partner is happy? Try focusing on each other's best assets on a daily basis -- you'll feel more attracted and in love with your partner than ever before.

The defining qualities of a healthy relationship compared to a toxic one is when both partners feel happy and successful in their individual pursuits as well as with each other, and when those two people are not afraid to show their love to each other on a daily basis.

If they're showing way too much PDA, imagine what's happening behind closed doors.

Couples who you see making out as they walk to work (how are they that good at multi-tasking?) are clearly more concerned about making sure their partner is adored and cared for than those of us who completely reject PDA.

I definitely expect a peck here or there when I'm out with my lover. It means that, no matter where we are or who we're in front of, we're connected to one another throughout the night.

It's a sign to me that I'm being thought of in the most beautiful of ways, and the soft surprise of a gentle kiss is easily the most caring way to melt anyone's heart.

And apparently, having that concern and respect for your partner's emotional needs means the two of you are more likely to be romping in the sheets than other couples who are less emotionally connected.

Mauro Grigollo

A report published in the May 2013 issue of Social Psychology And Personality Science studied 44 couples living together to find links between being responsive to a partner's emotional and sexual needs and the amount of sex going on in the sack.

Couples who reported placing a high importance on caring for their partners' needs tended to have much more sex than other couples.

This happy medium of pleasing each other was sustained longer in relationships where partners emphasized one another's happiness, the Huffington Post reports.

So it's true: Our gross love sessions on the street may be obnoxious to some, hilarious to others and adorable to a few (OK, probably just us). But to be honest, I'm just happy to say I found the one I don't mind slobbering on in front of complete strangers every now and then.

Citations: Having More Sex In Long Term Relationships Can Be Relatively Simple Study Finds (Huffington Post), What We Really Think of Public Displays of Affection (Psychology Today), Unhappily ever after Why bad marriages hurt womens health (CNN)