Intimacy

So what comes first the sex or love or there is no first? What do people look for when there is love in the air? Is it sex? If couples stay together long after there is any physical demonstration of affection outside hugging and kissing than sex is not the be all and end all, it seems. Yet for the hip and trendy, sex has its top position on the scale of sharing intimacy; without it couples fall apart in large numbers. Everybody is looking for something and if they are not getting it, than that can very well be the wedge that separates one from the next.

So sex is an issue when it comes to displaying intimacy around the world in all age group and between the opposite and same sex couples. It is though far from the only way to show appreciation and sharing warmth which are also large contrintuting factors to a couple’s intimacy. Appreciation might be expressed by a hand hold, an arm over the shoulder, a hug or enbrace. Hand holding is considered as a basic precursor to more intimate times as is petting or caressing. That display might be limited with some people but touching your mate or friend can be considered as a pleasing way to initiate the process of becoming more intimate or just sharing a non- sexual moment.

Different cultures impose different traditions on the display of intimacy in public but this does not mean that intimacy is any less valued in those cultures. So if certain peoples do not like to show their affection in public by holding hands or by another means it should not mean they are frigid. In other cultures like in Belgium it is common to get kissed on either side of the face, twice. This is as a sign of respect to someone you know or a sign of affection to an elder in the family but a stranger may find himself being kissed that way when in his own culture, strangers are not intimate in the least. It is all a question of following a custom and I gather the French are also unlikely to think anything about saving face while doing what they consider natural.