You might call it your dream date, your soulmate, or, if you’re the pragmatic sort, you may call it your list of must-haves. Regardless of the framing, if you’re single-and-looking then you probably have an idea of the sort of romantic partner you’re after. And although some of the qualities you’re looking for are probably [...]
Why Our ‘Ideal’ Partners on Paper Don’t Always Match Our Dating Choices
February 4, 2013 | Posted by
Rules For Keeping Real Friendships in Facebook Age
January 22, 2013 | Posted by
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson The teen I was talking with yesterday was perplexed. “How come I can’t keep friends?” she wanted to know. “I’m nice. I’m decent looking. I like to do stuff. Why don’t people want to hang out with me?” “How much do [...]
7 Ways to Heal the Pain of a Breakup
January 21, 2013 | Posted by
Losing a significant relationship in life is never easy, especially after you and your former partner walked a journey together. The loss can feel like emotional amputation. You may feel sad and alone, as if you’re missing an important part of yourself. If you were on the receiving end of a breakup, you may feel [...]
Improve Relationships by Responding Reflectively, Not Reacting Reflexively
January 19, 2013 | Posted by
Imagine the following scenario. One member of a committed couple arrives home 45 minutes late. The other member of the couple, who spent hours preparing a nice meal, feels unappreciated and angrily snaps, “Why are you so late?” This seems like an attack to the other mate, who is feeling hungry, angry and tired after [...]
Manti Te’o Drama Shows Complexity of Loving Someone You’ve Never Met
January 18, 2013 | Posted by
In what must be the most jaw-dropping sports story to emerge in a week of jaw-dropping sports stories (hello, OprahLance!), it emerges that star Notre Dame footballer Manti Te’o had a girlfriend who never existed. That would not be much of a tale — who hasn’t had at least one fake dalliance? — except that [...]
Why We Flirt
January 17, 2013 | Posted by
Second, flirters are sometimes driven by the exploring motive. Here, a person flirts to gauge the interest of the person he/she is flirting with. For instance, you may be romantically interested in another person and flirt to see his or her reaction. Does he/she flirt back? Laugh? Mace you? Third, our flirtatious messages are sometimes [...]
Nurturing Your Most Important Love Relationship, The One With Yourself
January 14, 2013 | Posted by
There’s an assortment of articles about building healthy relationships with our partners and loved ones. But we don’t hear nearly as much about the most important relationship in our lives: the one with ourselves. As writer and photographer Susannah Conway said, “Your relationship with yourself is the foundation of everything.” Having a good relationship with [...]
Smartphone Connectivity Can Disconnect Live Relationships
January 10, 2013 | Posted by
Are you spending more time with your smartphone than with your partner — even during romantic dates? Technology allows us to be constantly connected to the world, but it can also make us even more disconnected from each other. In fact, two recent studies show that cell phones can have a negative impact on close relationships. [...]
Showing Appreciation Strengthens Relationships
January 4, 2013 | Posted by
The ability to show appreciation to the important people in our lives is heavily underrated. When we feel under-appreciated, it can start eating away at our relationships. We may start to feel taken for granted, or taken advantage of, and get a sense that our partners, family, or friends don’t actually regard what they bring [...]
Choices to Help You Stay In Love
December 29, 2012 | Posted by
We all know that being in love is one of the very best feelings in the world. When we fall in love, we often believe that our in-love feelings are going to last forever. In my counseling practice, I’ve worked with countless people who believed that, this time, the love would last. Take Benjamin, for [...]
