Introduction It’s an annoyingly persistent stereotype which suggests that everyone hates their in-laws. The holiday period in particular may bring these tensions up, and winter in general isn’t the best time for many people’s mental health. Add an argument about whether saying “happy holidays” or “merry Christmas” is better, and a fair amount of alcohol,
We struggle with and enjoy our bodies. The wrinkles on our faces are remnants of our worries, our worries about the future, and our joys as we reminisce on a loved one lost, or the marks on our bodies from carrying children. We move through the world using our bodies as containers. They provide a
Introduction Online dating. Loved by some, loathed by others. Apps like Tinder, Grindr, Bumble and Zoosk changed the way people meet and relate and moved romance in a very different direction. We might not want to tell our grandchildren that we met online, but if we want to have grandchildren it may be necessary. One
Breakups suck. I remember being dumped at 17 and looking around my college canteen, wondering if anyone had ever been so miserable. All I thought about was my ex and what had gone wrong. Extreme melodrama aside, I think most people will confidently say that they don’t enjoy the tumult of breakups, the awkward “let’s
In September, The Atlantic published an article called “Technology Can Make Your Relationships Shallower”, written by a man called Arthur C Brooks. I think I speak for all of us when I say Okay, Boomer. Brooks starts by citing a study done in 1998 about internet usage in communal living spaces. As someone born in
Experts are going to disagree on the most important thing in a relationship. Is it affection, love, respect, a shared sense of humour, complimentary values, support, or chemistry? I would argue that all of these are necessary, plus a little bit of magic and the ability to sometimes not tell someone they’re turning into their
The idea that women aren’t attracted to nice guys is one of the most infuriating and sexist myths around. On the surface, it seems like the kind of thing someone would whine about after being turned down – “how could she do this to me, I was so nice to her”, as though an actually
What does a happy relationship look like? Is it the 1950s ideal, where the husband provides and the wife has the children washed and sedated, then provides a home-cooked meal with inventive use of gelatin? Is it the cliche from the romcoms of the 90s, where the man surprises the woman at her job at
Whether on a dating app or in real life, sometimes you come across someone and realise that you never, ever want to speak to that person again. Depending on how well you know that person, and if you’re likely to have to interact with them again (colleagues and good friends, significant others, for example), this
By a certain point in our lives, we’ve all acquired some baggage. While it varies from person to person, but we all have something, of a different shape, size or weight, that we carry around with us. It might be a failed marriage, infidelity, loss of a loved one, or even abuse. Opening up in
