A new study “Brain-to-brain coupling during handholding is associated with pain reduction” says that holding your loved one’s hand during difficult times will synchronize your breathing, heart rate, and brain wave patterns, and ultimately ease your pain. Additionally, the more empathy your partner has for you, the more in sync…
Breakups are rarely easy: you’ve spent valuable time together and gotten to know each other at a deeper level than most. But that doesn’t mean you should or could make the relationship work. If you’ve decided that it’s time to go separate ways, it’s important you communicate that to your…
A few years ago, I lived out the ultimate adventure: I explored Europe for three months and then taught English in Rwanda for five weeks. Every day brought a new and unfamiliar experience with it—I stood atop the beautiful Cliffs of Moher in Ireland; I gawked at the Eiffel tower…
I hate confrontation: I do everything in my power to avoid it, even if that means surrendering my argument or swallowing my feelings. This is okay to do every now and then, such as when you’re bickering with your roommate about who did the dishes last, but it’s taboo for…
This is a heavy question—one I’ve pondered too many times to count. When I was in high school, my boyfriend and I made a sport out of breaking up and getting back together. One week, we were a happy, loving couple, and the next we were failing to weather major…
Do you ever look at cheerful, loving couples and wonder what their secret is? Why are they so happy all of the time? How do they manage to keep that bond strong? And most importantly, can I foster that same loving relationship? Dr. Gilbert Chalepas says yes, indeed you…
This was a particularly unhealthy relationship, tainted by jealousy and many other issues. While the relationship certainly did not last for much longer, we did manage to recognize and work through his feelings of jealousy together. That’s not to say it is an easy process, but it is doable—especially when…
Pete and Debbie used to be a model couple—but these days, they’re having trouble maintaining that status. Debbie is caught up in a theft at her boutique, while Pete struggles to keep his new record label afloat. Meanwhile, their two daughters argue nonstop, further tampering with the family’s breaking point….
Every couple faces adversity—whether its infidelity, jealousy, insecurity, abuse, a combination of the four, or something different entirely. In any given case, what’s most important is not the difficulty at hand, but how one addresses and solves that issue. I learned this firsthand in a particularly challenging relationship a few…
All you need is love, right? Well, not quite. While undying love is essential to a happy, healthy marriage, every strong relationship also requires some hard work. Because life isn’t always easy—in fact, it can get pretty messy. That being said, there are proactive measures couples can take to keep…
My last boyfriend and I should have called it quits years earlier—but we just didn’t know what a healthy relationship looked like. The two of us had a whole lot of love for each other, and we believed that was enough. We thought that the jealousy, codependency, infidelity, and endless…
New research from the University of British Columbia reveals why it’s a woman’s instinct to wear her boyfriend’s hoodie or snuggle up in his armchair when he’s away: it helps them feel calmer. According to this study “Olfactory cues from romantic partners and strangers influence women’s responses to stress,” the…
