Tuesday, June 10, 2014

6 Texting Mistakes to Avoid

Texting mistake #5: Getting too naughty.
"On a first date, a guy would never say, 'So, do you want to take your top off now?'" McDermott says.

Yet "sexting" – sending salacious texts or even photos of your private areas – has become a commonplace activity. And people have become less shocked by it since the practice got former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner in trouble back in 2011.

That's because texting, along with social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, really do make people bolder, explains couples therapist Katherine Hertlein, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who studies the effect of technology on relationships.

"People use [social media] to accommodate behavior that they couldn't get away with in the real world," she says. "It makes risky [actions] more likely."

The texting win: Keep things classy.

If a new beau asks you to send a sexy selfie, McDermott advises, "Our general rule of thumb is: If you wouldn't frame the picture for your mother, don't send it."

But no one wants to be a flirting killjoy, right?

"Of course, most people don't want to seem lame and say, I don't feel like doing that," McDermott says.