The Scariest Part of a Relationship
For partners to make it “official,” they have to survive the period between acquaintanceship and closeness. But that’s when people tend to be especially bad at communicating.
Parasocial Relationships Are Just Imaginary Friends for Adults
If you get too invested in a fake friendship, your real ones might suffer.
When Did People Start Brushing Dogs’ Teeth?
Canine dental-hygiene needs haven’t changed; our relationship with our pets has.
‘A Common American Death’
It is hard for me not to think of my father’s death as a kind of negligent homicide, facilitated and sped by the United States’ broken safety net and strained systems of care.
There’s Exactly One Good Reason to Buy a House
Owning a home won’t make you happy. Filling it with love will.
The Catch-22 for Working Parents
The U.S. requires parents to work in order to receive aid but does very little to enable parents to work—or workers to parent.
Dear Therapist: We Set a Deadline to Decide About Marriage, and We Still Don’t Know
It’s been almost two years; am I wasting my time?
Marriage Isn’t Hard Work; It’s Serious Play
Yes, love requires some labor. But that shouldn’t define the relationship.
How Smart People Can Stop Being Miserable
Intelligence can make you happier, but only if you see it as more than a tool to get ahead.
Make a To-Don’t List
When you’re feeling stuck, focusing on the things you hate can help.
How Please Stopped Being Polite
The phrase if it please you has been shortened and shortened over time—until it’s become more brusque than courteous.
The Surprising Truth About Seasonal Depression
That we’re all sad in winter is a common refrain, but some researchers are questioning the season’s psychological effects.
Live Closer to Your Friends
They make your life better. So why not turn them into your neighbors?
Nostalgia Is a Shield Against Unhappiness
Happy memories have a uniquely protective power against a sad present.
The Family Who Tried to End Racism Through Adoption
Bob and Sheryl Guterl saw their family as a kind of “ark for the age of the nuclear bomb” and attempted to gather “two of every race.”
Special Ed Shouldn’t Be Separate
Isolating kids from their peers is unjust.
How to Find Joy in Your Sisyphean Existence
Life is full of boring, futile, absurd tasks. You’ll be happier if you can laugh at it all.
Dear Therapist: My Daughter’s ‘Brother’ Is Actually Her Father
After 30 years, I want to tell her the truth, but I don’t know how.
How My Wife and I Took Back Our Sundays
We have an agreement: One day a week, we do absolutely nothing. In a society obsessed with productivity, this is harder than it should be—but it’s worth it.
Happiness Is a Warm Coffee
All hail the miracle bean.