Life
If you've been with your partner for awhile, you probably have some, let's say, quirkier habits that the two of you share that other people might not fully understand (even if they, too have those weird relationship habits with their own partner). As couples get more and more comfortable being around one another, it's normal for your typical polite reservedness to start to dissipate a bit and for some stranger — but more real — behaviors to take its place. And if you have these weird relationship habits, you're with the right person.
Not all couples act exactly the same way, however, so if your weird relationship habits are slightly different than your best friend and their partner's or your sibling and their partner's, that doesn't necessarily mean something's wrong or that your weird habits are somehow the wrong weird habits to have. If your habits are similar, you can probably draw some similar conclusions. That being said, many couples tend not to share their strangest, weirdest, grossest habits with other people, instead opting to keep them between each other.
"Many couples — especially ones that have been together for a long time — tend to have weird relationship habits that are perfectly normal," Emily Mendez, M.S. EdS, a mental health writer and expert in psychology and addictions, tells Romper by email. Speaking to each other in strange voices or inventing your own language isn't actually weird or somehow problematic. It's normal and might mean that you and your partner are just meant to be together.
1You Pluck Each Other's Hair
"Tweezing your [partner's] beard or nose hair is a weird relationship habit that is normal," Mendez says. "Couples that do this have usually been together a long time. It shows that they like to take care of each other and that is good."
It might seem strange to make tweezing and tasks like it into a group activity, but it also is pretty clear that if you're doing this sort of thing together, you're very comfortable with one another, which is a good thing.
2You Speak To Each Other In Funny Voices
Speaking to one another in funny voices again indicates that there's a level of comfort there because you likely wouldn't speak to someone you hardly knew or weren't comfortable around in a voice that might be embarrassing.
"It’s a feeling of trust, loyalty, expresses fun and a sense of being home with your partner," Julie Ingenohl, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist, tells Romper by email.
It can definitely be fun, if not a little bit irritating to others who may occasionally hear it.
3You Pick Off Their Plate
Though not everyone is OK with someone else picking food off their plate, especially if they're not done eating it yet, if you and your partner tend to do this, it can be a good sign. Ingenohl says that not only does this indicate a certain level of comfort with the other person, but it also is probably something that you wouldn't do with very many other people.
4You Sing Together
Of course, not everyone is embarrassed of their singing voice, but unless you're an especially great singer, you might be a little hesitant to sing around someone new. If you sing around your partner (or with them), that might be a sign that the two of you are good together.
"This is good because it means that there is a certain degree of trust in the relationship," Mendez says. "Couples that do this trust that their partner won’t bring them down or make fun of them."
5You Call Each Other By Nicknames
Nicknames and pet names aren't part of every relationship, but if you and your partner have little names that you call each other, that can also be an indicator that you're right for each other.
Ingenohl says that calling each other by pet names can be a sign of a healthy relationship because you're clearly comfortable with one another and trust each other. Plus, in some cases, the pet names or nicknames come from somewhere — there's a story behind them — so if you're calling your partner a specific nickname, you likely know them pretty well too.
6You're Willing To Pop Their Zits
Gross, yes, but if you and your partner are willing to pop each other's zits (or anything similar), that's a pretty good indicator that you're comfortable in your relationship. Ingenohl says that a relationship habit like this one often just comes about naturally. Since you're so at ease around each other, it's easy to fall into habits of doing things that you might not do for someone else.
7You Make Up Your Own Words & Phrases
"A mutual 'language' typically signifies a shared sense of humor and general worldview ('wavelength') — essential ingredients for compatibility and a durable relationship," Carmel Jones, a relationship and sex expert, writer, and founder of The Big Fling tells Romper by email. "An internal relationship 'language' is almost always developed organically over time. The pieces come together early, but the words and phrases take time to flesh out. Entries to the dictionary are almost always approved with a smile and a laugh."
If your friends and family members just don't understand what you and your partner are saying sometimes, because you're able to communicate in your own sort of language that other people in your life don't know, it might be a sign that the person you're with is the right one for you after all.
