I still remember the phone call like it was yesterday. As I was preparing to leave for the university on a warm September morning in 2015, I received an unexpected call from my mother. In a very emotional conversation, she shared the devastating news that…

Dating and forming romantic relationships during the age of ambiguity can be incredibly confusing, especially if your romantic partner seems uninterested in a committed relationship. As a research team we have had frequent discussions about the missed opportunities (see here and here), and emotional toll…

As humans we have a natural desire to feel that we belong, and we find social acceptance to be significantly rewarding and social rejection to be considerably threatening. I think this is especially true for emerging adults (18-29 years-old). In my experience, emerging adults are…

As emerging adults leave high school and enter college, the idea of commitment and marriage may not seem like a priority. So many emerging adults have this notion that your college years are the time to party, experiment, and just have fun, rather than be…

Generally, when one enters into a romantic relationship, above all else, monogamy and fidelity are expected. Usually it is unspoken, but most times it is understood. Yet, as research has shown, infidelity is quite common especially in unmarried relationships. Recently our research team read a…

As we know, technology is a powerful foundation for communication and has become more advanced and prevailing over the years. We often wonder on our research team how technology is affecting emerging adults (18-29 years old) relationship formation and satisfaction. After all, research suggests that…

Although first published in 1994, Fighting for Your Marriage by Howard J. Markman, Scott M. Stanley, and Susan L. Blumberg is just as relevant today as when the book was first released. Back in May, there were eight members of our research team who were…

Now that it has been a few weeks since most colleges started, students are adjusting and familiarizing themselves with their classes and campus. These adjustments may cause problems when trying to balance commitment to your summer love, and new living situation and life at the…

Besides presenting at state and national conferences, as a research team we look forward to opportunities to present our research on campus during the semester. We excitedly were able to present our research in the summer semester! On Friday August 11th, two members of our…

Not only has the advent of smartphones and social media substantially changed the dating landscape, this technology has also made it much easier to get in and out of relationships. Certain features in smartphones and social media (Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) allow an individual to…

A great shift in the dating landscape has occured in the past 6-7 years. With the advent of smartphones and social media, emerging adults (18-29 years old) are not only communicating in new ways, but this technology has had a profound impact on the formation…

Having a partner that is honest and committed to their romantic relationship is an expectation that many people have, but research indicates that individuals do not always hold themselves to that same standard. Personally, I have always thought of myself as an honest person. I…

With the fall semester quickly approaching, incoming freshmen throughout the United States are preparing to attend college for the first time. When I started college many of my friends were excited to meet guys and have “no strings attached” relationships. It seems like many college…

Can swiping on Tinder lead to long-term romantic love? As a research team we have wondered about this idea, as have others such as the author in this New York Times article. Recently our team read a new research article entitled Swiping Me Off My…

Are you a weak link or a strong link in your relationships? That’s a rhetorical question that one might ask themselves after reading one of the latest research articles published by Scott Stanley and colleagues. Asymmetrical commitment represents a new—and I might add one of…

Writing as an emerging adult in today’s society, it can be stressful when thinking about the future. Not only am I concerned with finding a stable career, I’m constantly being questioned about my love life by friends and family. After reading various research articles, it’s…

On April 25th five of the research members presented at the Northern Illinois University Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day (URAD). It all started with volunteers from the team to dedicate time to create our poster for URAD 2017. We collaborated with Dr. Sibley to make…

On April 6th, seven members of our research team attended the Illinois Council on Family Relations 2017 Annual Conference in Normal, Illinois to present our research on our paper titled “Proceed with Caution: how emerging adults are testing the waters in just talking romantic relationships”.…