Just when you thought your goal was to find someone and settle down like your parents, Match.com, the popular online dating site, announced their biggest fans are over 50 years of age. You don’t outgrow the need to have someone special in your life, and facing health, retirement, and financial concerns can be overwhelming for older singles. If you’re used to having a partner, going out alone or being a third wheel can leave you feeling lonelier than it did when you were young

If you’re currently dating, you’ve probably had experiences with orbiters, stashing (your date having another relationship on the side just in case) or ghosting, but now there is a new dating phenomenon called “mosting.” While ghosting is when an interested partner you’ve been dating completely vanishes from your life, “mosting” is a heightened version. Not only do they disappear, but they act completely smitten and in love with you before they disappear. A “moster” lays the

Dating has never been as complicated or easy to access as it is today. You can find a partner with the swipe of your finger and get a glimpse of their life by downloading an app. It becomes an even more difficult situation if you break up with them but stay connected to their social media. Orbiting is a new phenomenon that describes someone who leaves your life but continues to be involved in your social media. This allows your ex to comment and view what you’re doing. It sen

Being ghosted can be incredibly painful and heart-wrenching. The sudden disappearance only adds confusion and insecurity. Everything seems to be going fine, and you’re texting, planning dates, and staying up late talking. Then, suddenly, they stop responding and you cannot reach them. Your brain does what normal brains do – it ruminates, wondering if something horrible happened to them or if you made a mistake that lead to their disappearance. The most psychologically damagin

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

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