Decide To Commit

Is pornography use harmful to relationships? An ever growing body of research indicates that pornography poses a substantial threat to individuals, couples, families, and society. Many studies conclude that a major impact of pornography is that it causes individuals to turn away from connection in…

Is this a red flag that I observed in a potential romantic partner? Is her excessive spending or his substance use a dealbreaker? I (Aleisha) recently got out of a serious, long-term relationship with someone who I knew deep down was not right for me,…

Have you experienced a time when you felt isolated but craved social interaction? Have you ever been in a room full of people but still felt alone? Or have you ever felt distanced from your partner or as if they don’t want to spend time…

Every day I try to think about how I can make meaningful changes in my parenting to help improve how my child approaches the world. What will help him establish meaningful relationships? How can I help him learn to cope with any problems he may…

On June 15th through 17th, Dr. Sibley, Stephanie Lipira, Jessica Lopez, Katherine Smail, and myself had the pleasure of presenting some of our research at the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood (SSEA) 2023 Conference in San Diego, California, at the Hyatt Regency Mission…

Every interracial relationship is different. However, one idea remains constant in all of these pairings is that race matters. By this, I mean race should not be the determining factor in whether or not you choose a romantic partner, but it should be something that…

Has your romantic partner ever forgot that they had a date planned with you? Or have you ever noticed your partner consistently having difficulty paying attention during a conversation with you? Does your partner ever get stuck daydreaming? Do they get so engrossed with an…

My family has been directly impacted by substance abuse since before I was born, and it has continued to be a presence in my life today. My parents met in 1988 and my father was in recovery from alcoholism. Over the course of their relationship,…

On March 31st, our research team attended the Illinois Council on Family Relations (ILCFR) 2023 Annual Conference in Charleston, Illinois, at Eastern Illinois University. The whole team (minus Dr. Sibley) had piled into a van and endured the 3-hour drive to Charleston the day before.…

Going into any new relationship can be pretty scary. But have you ever thought about what going into a new relationship may look like for someone who has gone through trauma in a past relationship? Whether that trauma was related to domestic violence, sexual abuse,…

Being in any kind of relationship with anxiety can be quite intimidating. But have you ever found yourself needing to tell your partner something super important, but you felt too nervous to tell them because you were worried they were going to see you differently…

There are times when one partner in a relationship wants to leave, but is simply afraid of hurting their partner’s feelings, or scared of what life may be like outside of a now-comfortable relationship. Maybe this is you, or a close friend, but whoever it…

Psychiatrist and professor at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Robert Waldinger, has overseen an on going 75-year study along with many of his colleagues to find an answer to a question that potentially everyone tries to figure out at some point in life. What makes us…

Am I dating a narcissist? The question that many romantic partners avoid at all costs. You may relate to this avoidance as you have found yourself many times afraid to let yourself fully answer this question. Or maybe the word narcissist is new to you.…

How to tell your romantic partner, “I need space”- a phrase that typically sounds the alarm sirens in a romantic relationship. Have you ever found yourself in a romantic relationship where you feel oddly suspicious about how well things are going? You can feel the…

When does the nightmare end? What is the path to intimate partner violence recovery? These are questions many intimate partner violence survivors find themselves wondering over and over again as they struggle to put the pieces of their lives back together after years of abuse.…

COVID-19 dating, a phrase we never could have imagined on New Year’s Day. Flashback to January 1st, 2020. You may have found yourself surrounded by family as you welcomed the new opportunities and challenges that would arise in 2020. Or maybe you found yourself on…

Cheating, the word no one wants to hear in a romantically committed relationship. Finding out that your romantic partner cheated on you can leave you feeling completely blindsided. You may find yourself feeling paralyzed as questions about what went wrong flood your mind. Many will…