Talk & tease
Praise: a beginner's guide
Telling your partner how good they’re being. It’s simple and works on almost everyone.
In the quiz
- Praise in bed
How to start
- Say what you love, specifically, while it’s happening.
- Try “good girl” or “good boy” and watch the reaction.
- Pair it with instructions: praise them when they follow.
How to keep it safe
- Some people find pet names off-putting. Ask.
- Mix it with degradation only if you both want that.
What you need
- Nothing needed.
Ideas to try
- Praise every time they follow an instruction.
- A text the next day about what you loved.
Is your partner into it too?
Take the quiz on your own phones. You'll only see praise in your results if you both said some kind of yes.
Sources
- Frederick et al. (2018). Differences in orgasm frequency among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual men and women in a U.S. national sample. Archives of Sexual Behavior.
- Mallory (2022). Dimensions of couples' sexual communication, relationship satisfaction, and sexual satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology.
Related guides
- Dirty talk
Saying what you want, what you’re doing or what you’re about to do. For a lot of couples it’s the fastest, cheapest way to turn things up.
- Sexting, calls and photos
Building anticipation while you’re apart with texts, calls or photos. It’s how a lot of couples keep things going through busy weeks and work trips.
- Sharing fantasies
Telling each other what you think about, whether or not you’d ever do it. Talking about a fantasy is its own kind of sex, and it’s usually where trying things starts.
- Degradation and humiliation
Words and treatment that would be insults anywhere else, used as a turn-on. It’s often about letting go of having to be good.
Educational, not medical or legal advice. Updated 2026-11-09.