Relationships

First, simply acknowledge that you have it, says sex therapist Vanessa Marin. Then move on to some compliments.   Vanessa Marin has dedicated her career to discussing the most private details of other people’s sex lives. But, for a long time, she found it hard to talk about her own. In a new book, “Sex Talks: The Five Conversations That Will Transform Your Love Life,” …

Here’s something you may or may not expect: I drown in fucking emails. I know everyone says that. Everyone gripes about their overflowing inbox. But I’m serious here. Every time I log in, I’m like a kid in a pool who forgot he’s wearing a floaty: it’s just pure unadulterated panic. I get up to 1,000 emails per week. And …

Friends make our lives richer — at least that’s the goal. But every now and again, friendships take more than they give. While ebbs and flows are commonplace in relationships, it’s important to be able to distinguish when a friendship — or any relationship, for that matter — takes a toxic turn. You have probably seen examples of toxic friendships in …

What makes love last? Different researchers from different academic disciplines have examined the question over the years and now a professor has analyzed more than 1,100 studies on the subject. Brian Ogolsky, an associate professor in human development and family studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, looked at everything published in the academic realm about “relationship maintenance” since 1950, and then identified the most …

1. Communication Issues Communication issues are among the most common causes of bad relationships at work. If people cannot effectively communicate with each other, problems will inevitably arise. This can be due to a lack of understanding or simply not communicating well. Either way, it’s important that these issues are resolved as soon as possible so that the relationship can …

Sometimes, it can be easy to find yourself in a relationship with someone who is practically a stranger. But you also saw how it was possible to take steps to get to know your self and your partner so as to determine whether or not you both wanted the same things from your relationship. John and Sue-Anne had taken this …

Erik Erikson was a 20th century psychologist. He analyzed and divided the human experience into eight stages of development. Each stage has a unique conflict and a unique result. One such stage — intimacy versus isolation — points out the struggle young adults have as they try to develop intimate, loving relationships. This is the sixth stage of development, according …

Everyone who chooses to be in a relationship will experience conflict at some point. There may be mismatched expectations about how often partners spend time together or different ideas of what quality time looks and feels like. Or, maybe the conflict is something more significant, like a difference in values or beliefs, the way one partner’s family drama affects the relationship, or …

Although there are exceptions most couples would agree that for a relationship to thrive and bring out the best in both partners trust is an essential prerequisite. Some strategies to build trust that if implemented in the early days of your relationship can help create a respectful and trusting environment that will nurture and support your relationship throughout its lifetime. …

There are hundreds of myths about relationships, according to Terri Orbuch, Ph.D, a Michigan clinical psychologist and author of “5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great” (Delacorte Press, 2009). The problem with persistent myths is that they can erode a relationship’s happiness, she said. When you think a relationship should be a certain way, and yours isn’t, frustration …