Online dating is fast, convenient, and offers unthinkable amounts of variety. However, with all that swiping, it’s created “relationshopping,” in which we’ve become consumers, picking up and discarding people much like shopping. More than half of all online dating users have referred to online dating as a marketplace. You add someone to your cart and remove them when you decide you want someone else. Unfortunately, that same level of detachment transfers to actual dates. Here

If you’re online dating, the first impression you make can be the difference between having an awesome date or staying in on a Friday night. This pressure causes people to lie. They try to make themselves look better, happier, and more appealing to potential daters. If you think about the last five interactions you’ve made whether texting, posting, or answering someone on a dating app, there is a high probability you weren’t exactly honest with everything you said. Although m

When we hear about horrendous acts of violence, embezzlement, kidnappers, and child predators, we often wonder, “Who are these people?” How could they possibly go unnoticed for so long, getting married, having children and fitting into a community? Often they go unnoticed because they’re attracted to leadership roles, and their charismatic skills allow them to advance in companies and manipulate relationships. In brain studies, psychopaths have areas of the brain that are “de

Recently, I received an email from a woman asking for relationship guidance. She said she was enamored with a man she met, and they could talk about anything. Their dates were fun, they were intimate together, and they seemed to understand each other well. However, she noticed that her boyfriend never invited her to spend time with his family or best friends. He would post photos of where they went on dates and what they ate, but never included her in the photo. It became cle

If you’re worried about your relationship, you may start overanalyzing everything your partner does or doesn’t do. Constantly focusing on your relationship and seeing it as something broken can consume your thoughts and become overwhelming. When you begin to compare your partner to your friend’s partner or complain to your partner about their inadequate areas, resentment builds up. Marriage experts warn against these behaviors because they decrease communication and increase

The loneliest most of us ever feel is when we are with someone we don’t care for. A bad date or a bad marriage can make us feel isolated and unloved. Even still, many people go out with people they don’t have feelings for to avoid being alone for New Year’s Eve. After all, who wants to be home alone on New Year’s Eve? According to our culture, it's the one night you are supposed to go out and have an adventure or a kiss to bring in the new year. One of the reasons we don’t wa

No matter what magazine you pick up, you’ll find a section about relationships. Often, they promote the importance of physical attraction and chemistry, encouraging you to look or act a certain way. As a licensed therapist, I understand their view on the importance of chemistry and sex appeal. However, these aspects are not the keys to finding love or even being in a healthy relationship. Rather, these messages that “you’re not good enough” or “you don’t have the right look”

As a seasoned licensed therapist, I can tell you that relationships change over time and with society. For millennials it means wanting a Facebook relationship status that everyone will recognize, like, and comment on. They want couple photos on Instagram, along with both people looking happy and “in-vogue.” They want someone to come home to and who is there for them, but they don’t necessarily understand the work behind creating a relationship. This is a generation that grew

College used to be a time when dating was rampant. But now 60% of all college students are female and 40 % are male. There doesn’t seem to be enough males to go around. Women have given in to what everyone else is doing. That is hooking up. A hook up is when you go out, meet someone and have sex just for one night. No strings attached, sex is casual and knowing them or their name is not necessary. In fact the majority of hook ups are done under the influence of alcohol so it

It’s easy to feel frustrated and a little down when your coupled friends are telling you about their Valentine’s Day plans. Although it doesn’t seem to bother you any other time of the year, there’s something about Valentine’s Day that makes you feel nostalgic or alone. However, it’s not having a partner that makes Valentine’s Day great – it’s feeling loved. You can still feel loved by celebrating self-care and making others feel special. Below are five ways to make yourself