What Is Spooning?

Spooning is not a word defined in the standard dictionary, so it is a little bit difficult for some people to know exactly what it is. Fortunately, this article can provide some guidance.

Spooning technically has a few definitions. For example, it is the present progressive form of the verb "spoon" (i.e. he was spooning some soup into the tureen.) It is also a method of putting the ball in play in the sport of crouquet, a Southeast Asian folk remedy, and a method of cheating a slot machine. However, these are not the meanings that most people are referring to when they ask what spooning is.

The definition that most people are looking for when they ask what is spooning is the definition that refers to cuddling. Spooning refers to a specific cuddle position in which two people lay together with one's back to the other's front. In other words, one person curls around the other in the shape of a spoon; hence the term "spooning."

Spooning is a popular cuddle position and a favored method of sleeping among those who are in love. Spooning is so popular that a Facebook Group devoted to it has sprung up, and (as Science Daily reported) a University of Minnesota family social science professor named Paul Rosenblatt explored it (along with other "co-sleeping" positions) in a book entitled "Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing."

There are even midly inappropriate (although PG13 rated) YouTube video tutorials teaching you "How to Spoon." The video addresses the challenge of knowing where to put your arms when you spoon, as one arm -the one caught between the spooner's bodies- can feel out of place or uncomfortable when you assume the spooning position.

Benefits of Spooning

Because there is a great deal of physical contact inherent in the "spooning" position, there are many potential benefits associated with cuddling, or even sleeping, this way.

Rosenblatt shared several anecdotes in his book that help explain the importance of spooning. For example, he retold the story of a couple who was sleeping in a spoon position when the woman had a seizure. The man was able to feel it due to their position and he was able to call 911 and get her immediate help. The couple was quoted as saying they believed that she might of died, had they not been cuddled up in the spoon position.

Physical intimacy, such as spooning, can have many benefits for a relationship even in standard, non life-or-death situations. While women tend to communicate more with touch than men, according to a study on communication in couples relationships, touch can be extremely beneficial to both parties.

Spooning, co-sleeping and cuddling can make couples feel secure. It can make people feel loved, safe and wanted within the context of the relationship. It can help a couple form a bond, even as they are sleeping. It can provide a non-verbal way of expressing that you care, that you want to be close to each other, and that your relationship is important.

Spooning is generally an "innocent" touch, a touch that signifies primarily affection, love, protection and safety. Therefore, spooning doesn't always have to occur between romantic partners. While it is commonly associated with this context, anyone who wants comfort, closeness and connection can spoon.