Nicknames serve an important and beneficial role in all relationships, whether it’s with your romantic counterpart, friends or family.The beneficial effects of nicknames are only observed when the nicknames are welcomed and liked by their recipients.Nicknames serve an important and beneficial role in all relationships, whether it’s with your romantic counterpart, friends or family. Pet names increase intimacy, mutual appreciation and playfulness, which ultimately make a relationship more resilient. They also aid in relieving tension and easing conflict. For example, “You forgot to unload the dishwasher, ya ding dong!” sounds a lot less like an attack and a lot more forgiving than solely saying, “You forgot to unload the dishwasher!”             

The beneficial effects of nicknames are only observed when the nicknames are welcomed and liked by their recipients. Couples also need to know where to draw the line. No one, I repeat, no one wants to hear you excessively calling your significant other by nauseating nicknames. So, if you and your partner enjoy sickening expressions of love, do us all a favor and reserve them for private use (reminder: #womancrushwednesday and #mancrushmonday are NOT private nor acceptable forums for demonstrations of your love and cutesie pet names. Barf.) 
I’m a big nickname person. My best friends are listed in the contacts on my phone under goofy nicknames accompanied by a truly obnoxious number of emojis. And yes, I’m that sorority girl who refuses to call her little by her actual name, instead, using “Little” as a proper noun.             

As a proponent of nicknames and their positive effect on communication and relationships, I feel obligated to provide a crash course in nickname-ology. 
Probably, the most commonly used nicknames are personalized alterations of your real name. Appropriate examples include Bec, Becs, and Beccers in lieu of Becca. But, in my opinion, the best names invoke a playful banter. Words originally intended as insults can be fun terms of endearment as long as the recipient knows that they’re spoken with love. Insults such as loser, punk, brat, nerd, goober, etc., are some of my favorites and I have an extensive repertoire of offending names that I reserve for my closest friends. 
However, I think we can all agree that there are some pet names that necessitate permanent removal from the realm of popular usage. Angel isn’t cute, it’s extreme and would make me run for the hills. Kid and Kiddo are likely perceived as patronizing, unless it’s coming from your parents or grandparents. Only our mothers should use Honey and Sweetie. Similarly, Pumpkin and Peanut only sound fitting when used by a father with his daughters. 
Further,  Cupcake and Muffin should never be used seriously. Ever. And Bae is just an appalling, cringe-worthy affront to the English language. 
Babe and Baby aren’t atrocious, but too much of anything can wear thin rather quickly, and Babe is definitely the lesser of the two evils. Despite their depiction of a perfect on-screen couple, Marshall and Lily Erikson on How I Met Your Mother use Baby such an intolerable amount that it actually may only be bearable to endure if you create a drinking game out of it. 
Topping the charts as one of the most disturbing uses of pet names is when couples who aren’t yet parents refer to each other as Mommy and Daddy. It gives me the heebie jeebies. Evidently, these people have serious Freudian issues and need to address their Oedipal/Electra complexes with extensive therapy.   
When it comes to assigning nicknames, you just need to know your audience. Some people may prefer not to have a nickname, while some people enjoy revoltingly sweet, ooey gooey nicknames. Any preference is fine, as long as you keep the number of times you call your boyfriend Pookie Bear to a bare minimum around the rest of us. 
There are never ending possibilities with creating nicknames so just have fun with it, let it be natural and allow relationship satisfaction to improve as a result.