Why more couples are choosing “sleep divorces” and saying it saved their relationship
Sleep divorce, the practice of couples deliberately choosing to sleep apart on a regular or permanent basis, is gaining traction in a cultural moment that is increasingly willing to question the assumptions built into romantic partnership. For generations the shared bed has functioned as a symbol of closeness and commitment, so the idea of opting […]
Findings that explain why conflict in relationships argue matters more than what you argue about
Conflict in relationships has a reputation problem. The cultural messaging around relationship health tends to position argument and disagreement as signs of incompatibility, dysfunction, or impending dissolution, producing couples who either suppress conflict to avoid the appearance of struggle or who interpret every significant argument as evidence that something is fundamentally wrong. The research has […]
Sexless relationships have 4 findings that explain why the distance is rarely about attraction
Sexless relationships are one of the most common and least discussed challenges in long-term partnerships. Research estimates that between 15 and 20 percent of married couples have sex fewer than ten times per year, which meets the clinical definition of a sexless marriage, and that a significantly larger proportion experience a level of intimacy decline […]
Oxytocin has 4 findings that explain why some couples stay deeply connected while others slowly drift
Oxytocin is the hormone that most people have heard described as the love hormone or the bonding hormone, usually in a context that makes it sound like a warm and fuzzy chemical footnote to the more dramatic neuroscience of attraction. The reality of what oxytocin is doing inside relationships is considerably more interesting and considerably […]
Breakup recovery has 4 findings that explain why heartbreak hurts in ways that go far beyond emotion
Breakup recovery is the experience that most people are completely unprepared for the first time they go through it and only marginally better prepared for every time after that. The cultural script for heartbreak is reasonably well-established. You are sad for a while, you lean on friends, you possibly make some decisions about your hair, […]