Pairing is finding fans at technology companies including Facebook Inc. and mobile payments start-up Square. Its advocates speak in glowing terms of the power of coupling, saying paired coders can catch costly software errors and are less likely to waste time surfing the Web."The communication becomes so deep that you don't even use words anymore," says Kent Beck, a programmer at Facebook and a strong advocate of pairing. "You just grunt and point."

If the ideal for pairing is soulmate-level bonding, the reality can be more like an endless bad blind date. Annoyances that plague partners everywhere can quickly pile up: from poor personal hygiene and table manners, to feet on shared desks and loud chewing.

I know some people who swear by pair programming.

And many who swear AT pair programming, for the reasons you mention.