
"What inspired me to make the tweet was doing a bit that my boyfriend hates, which was me saying the phrase 'slide in like a tuna fish,' a phrase I made up which means absolutely nothing, but which he hates," Sophia Benoit, author of the upcoming book Well, This Is Exhausting, told Bored Panda.
"He and I love doing repeated, sustained jokes that the other person pretends to dislike way more than they actually do. If either of us did something that actually bothered the other person, that would not be fun or connective or loving and we would not enjoy that!"
"I think the reaction was overwhelmingly positive and people loved sharing their own versions of this; I think it’s pretty universal for couples that actually like one another," Sophia said about teasing.
But since we all have weak spots in our self-esteem, even friendly, playful remarks can hurt your partner. If that happens, experts suggest keeping on the straight and narrow and apologize. Shifting blame and saying that they need to "learn to take a joke" or "shouldn't be so sensitive" could make the situation worse and damage an otherwise healthy relationship. You can find some valuable tips on how to make sure that teasing creates positive feelings for you and your partner here.
Personally, Benoit is pro-teasing, but she stressed there's a massive difference between teasing someone about something harmless that is not a trigger for them and teasing someone about something they're sensitive about.
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"Everyone (even couples) crosses the line occasionally because they don't know that their partner is sensitive about something, but I think it's the response that really matters," she said. "If you continue 'teasing' your partner about something they genuinely don't want to be teased about (like their appearance or parts of their personality that they don’t want to be a joke for example), then you aren't teasing, you're being cruel. Teasing is for things like 'Haha, you leave half-empty water cups everywhere' or 'You are afraid of attics but you won't admit it.' Not serious stuff."
Relationships shouldn't be complicated. On the contrary. They should be fun, engaging, and above all, comforting. So get playful, enjoy your partner, and let them enjoy you too.
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