Tie signs

For romantic couples, public displays of affection (PDA) including things like holding hands, an arm around a partner's shoulders or waist, extended periods of physical contact, greater-than-normal levels of physical proximity, grooming one's partner, and “sweet talk” are all examples of common tie signs.

The majority of the time, the term tie sign is directed toward romantic couples, but it can also apply to groups like families and friends.

Additionally, "name-dropping" is an example a type of non-romantic tie sign[1] wherein someone attempts to communicate to others that a relationship exists between the speaker and the person he or she has named.

Goffman breaks tie-signs into three distinct categories:[4] Laura K. Guerrero and Peter A. Andersen researched how touch avoidance informs on the various stages of romantic relationships.

[1][4][7] Like Goffman, Desmond Morris's work with tie signs, was more descriptive in nature as he was describing a new concept, in contrast with others' research that followed.

[1] Additionally, he broadens and clarifies his definition by including objects such as engagement rings, family pictures, and tattoos, as well as "indirect tie signs"[1] such as a couple sharing a dessert after dinner, and "direct ties signs"[1] such as maintaining close proximity to one another, finishing each other's sentences, and prolonged and frequent body contact.

[1] Victoria Schwanda Sosik and Natalya Bazarova researched relational maintenance through social networking including an increasing sense of “staying in touch” and frequency of contact.

[8] In "Relations in Public", Goffman concedes that his review of tie-signs is focused on Western society of the time, specifically to "middle-class American[s].