Jacaylbaro Posted July 19, 2007 With three kids in the house, Stacie Zaragosa and her husband, Ricardo, have to get creative when they want to escape the crowd. So this Winsted, CT, couple have come up with a secret code phrase that lets them slip up to the bedroom, no questions asked. "One of us will say, 'I think we should both go upstairs and fold the laundry,' " says Stacie, 34. "The kids would never go near laundry, so it's a safe bet!" Whatever your secret code is, speaking a private language doesn't just give you two a charge - it actually has the power to strengthen your bond. "Public displays of commitment - such as having a signal at a party to let each other know you're bored and want to leave - are better predictors of a couple's longevity and stability than public displays of affection, according to a recent study," says therapist Pat Love, coauthor of the upcoming book How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It. "That's because these acts show nonverbally that you think as a couple, that your partner's having a good time is as important as your having a good time, and that your commitment to each other is bigger than your commitment to almost anything else." (Not taking sides against your spouse in a heated cocktail-party political debate - or even something as simple as finishing your meals at more or less the same time - also counts as public displays of commitment.) "Communicating in code reinforces your solidarity and rapport," adds Diana Boxer, Ph.D., a professor of linguistics at the University of Florida. "It not only shows off your identity as a couple, it actually strengthens it, and that makes you feel more connected." Where Do Codes Come From? Three words: your shared history. "When couples have a meaningful experience together, they tend to use a word or phrase as a shorthand way of evoking the entire experience," says redbook Love Network expert Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D., couples therapist and author of How to Be a Couple and Still Be Free. For Tessina and her husband, that word is "candles," because on their honeymoon, they passed out with candles blazing and almost torched the place. "Now all one of us has to say is 'candles' and we both laugh," she says. No couple sits down and makes a point of figuring out a covert phrase or signal to share; rather, "The meaning of a code evolves over time," Boxer notes. "The more we get to know each other, the more we understand how the other person thinks." Usually, codes are created at random, as was the case for Andrea Nemeth, 36, and her husband, Vadim Shleyfman, of Caldwell, NJ. "When we wave our hands in a shooting motion like a gun, we mean, 'I love you,'" Andrea says. Its origin? She can't remember! "We created it in some goofy moment," she says, and they now use it often. What Code Can Do for Your Love Having your own shorthand is a time-saver, for sure. But your catchphrases and nonverbal cues can also help you put hard-to-express emotions into words, find a comfortable way to ask for sex, even say, "Why are we fighting, anyway?" Some of the surprising benefits of your secret language: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
