You see it everywhere-that couple in front of the library holding hands and gazing into each others eyes, walking to class, casually stopping for a kiss once or twice, or even in the hallways stopped right in the middle where no one can get by. WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE. Whether we were the culprits, or the victims, PDA is inescapable on most campuses. Here at Her Campus Bryant, we want to uncover the true reasons for the reasons of uncomfort and the reasons for infamous Public Displays of Affection, and we narrowed it down to a few reasons/explanations.
Religion
Now this is a big one. In many cultures, love or relationships are to remain private and only for the ones who are married. Some students from very religious families may be very uncomfortable with other’s PDA around campus and tend to shy away from those displaying it. Now in America, some of this holds true for those very religious, but the American culture is far from private.
Childhood
Our upbringing has a very big impact on how we act as young adults. If our parents were more conservative and strict, we may be more likely to hide our displays of affection with our significant other. It’s a comfort zone, it’s what feels most appropriate as some were taught as children.
This could also work in the other direction too, as the rebellious side of many of us comes out around college. It’s where we develop the ultimate freedom and learn to take care of ourselves. This may be an opening for expressing the way people feel. Even if that means making out in public. That’s just there way of freely expressing their love for one another.
Your Boyfriend/Girlfriend
Some of us just want to make our significant other happy and show we love them. PDA is a very bold way of saying you love and appreciate someone. It’s a sign of happiness and confidence in a relationship.
Quick Facts about PDA
If you like participating in PDA, you tend to be more confident, in your self and in your relationship.
- If you tend to be more private about your love life, then you’re more of a quiet person and keep your private life to yourself.
Lastly, some advice for those in-betweeners (one person in the relationship loves PDA, while the other not so much): Find a happy medium. Find out your partners boundaries before you go off making out with them in the middle of the hallway. This is a big issue in most relationships, and can easily be avoided if you’re considerate of each other. Find out your limits and your comfort zones and always be respectful of that.