'Sexting' may be a term coined by the younger generation but has been happening for quite a while. Whether it is to spice things up, get or give attention or simply to have fun - but could it really impact your relationship positively?

To put it in a classic way - it is expressing how you feel about someone or a situation sexually using modern technology such as phones or online chats or images. Sexting doesn't involve anything physical. It's meant to steer an imagination and roar sexual desires.

Sometimes teenagers only engage in sexting while keeping the physical aspects of a relationship to a minimum or nill. Sexting doesn't mean commitment and people in relationships aren't the only ones that engage in it. Although adults may look at their kids in horror if they catch them sexting, they have been doing it for ages - they just didn't have a term for it yet. The youngest group of people that engage in sexting are teenagers - but it is an adult act. Sex plays a huge part in relationships and is considered to be an act between two individuals in love. That is not always true among teenagers resulting in them giving in to pressure, humiliation and even bullying - hence it should be reserved for adults.

While sexting helps in exploring sexual desires, it can impair actual intimate relationships. This is because when one imagines a sexual act through a text or an image, it invokes feelings of pleasure and raises expectations. One might feel disappointed if these expectations are not met in reality. Humans are biologically sexual beings, and once we hit puberty, the curiosity of sex looms over our vulnerable minds. Sexting became a way of fulfilling these desires without actually having to commit to a relationship - exclusive or not - or sex of any kind.

Now for the positive aspects.

Sexting helps keep things' open' - from fantasies to sexual inadequacies; couples can openly talk about their issues and play them out in their minds - it gives a feeling of comfort starting the road to intimacy. Exploring a partner's sexual desires isn't just a one-time thing, likes and dislikes can be expressed through sexting, allowing the actual act of sex to be more passion-filled and comfortable. Sexting is also popular among people that are doing long distances - a relationship or just a fun activity. It helps with increasing intimacy and passion. When it comes to married couples or couples in strong committed relationships, it is used as a way to express endearment, notions of 'im thinking of you' and helps with increasing excitement.

Many couples complain about how relationships get boring after a while, especially when it comes to sex - sexting helps couples re-live their fantasies or start new ones, making things more spicy and interactive. This leaves partners wanting for more, taking out the stigma of long relationships not being able to last because sex gets to be a routine thing.

While sexting may have negative impacts on teenagers because of the reasons behind why they do it - bullying, pressure or to prove their commitment but with adults and their sexual encounters, it can positively help it grow and strengthen.