Many people grow up believing they need to find “the one.” A perfect soulmate who appears at exactly the right time and makes love effortless. Disney fairy tales and the curated glow of social media can make that ideal feel normal, as if healthy relationships…
When you ask happily married couples what helps them through difficult seasons, you often hear recurring themes: trust, open communication, shared beliefs, and forgiveness. These traits rarely work in isolation. Research shows that they are intertwined and grounded in a deeper sense of meaning. At…
Valentine’s Day is widely recognized as a time to highlight love across all types of relationships. Friends gather for Galentine’s Day, families exchange warm messages, and romantic partners plan date nights, post affectionate photos, and exchange gifts. The first blog post on this website highlighted…
Sometimes people don’t fall in love with who their partner is, but with who they imagine their partner might one day become. Someone who only ticks a few of their boxes, but hopefully, with time and experience, can tick all of their boxes. An idea…
Grief can be difficult to understand, especially when emotions are colliding. Finding solace in grief begins with recognizing how unpredictable these emotions can be. You may be feeling angry about losing someone, you may be sad they are no longer with you, you may be…
With over 20 million copies sold, Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages has become a cultural phenomenon since its release in 1992. Translated into 50 languages and featured on bestseller lists like The New York Times for hundreds of weeks, its influence now stretches far beyond the bookshelf. From…
This past June 4th through June 6th, Dr. Sibley, Julie Abbinante, and I had the chance to present our research at the Society for The Study of Emerging Adulthood (SSEA) 2025 Conference in Charleston, South Carolina, at the Hyatt Place. Dr. Sibley and I flew…
There is no better feeling than welcoming home your service members from deployment. Months, days, hours, and minutes all counting down to the moment you get to hug them. A lot of stress releases and you are able to take a deep breath again. While…
What ever happened to dating? This is a question I have been asking as a researcher, clinician, and educator for the past decade. In my most recent blog post about just talking, I discussed a significant change in the way emerging adults (18 to 29-year-olds)…
Emerging adulthood is a time of life characterized by decision-making in romantic relationships. Most emerging adults (18 to 29-year-olds) utilize this time for romantic and sexual exploration with ambitions and expectations for marriage (see Millennial Marriage or The Marriage Paradox). Scholars such as Drs. Scott Stanley and Galena Rhoades have argued that…
As we have discussed continually on this blog, technology is impacting the formation and maintenance of relationships. Today’s adolescents have increasing access to technology, including social media, potentially influencing their social and emotional growth. Peer relationships typically flourish during this stage, including forming romantic relationships.…
In today’s digital age, couples are increasingly meeting via online, rather than relying on introductions from friends, family, or social events. Without the barriers of physical proximity, individuals seeking romantic relationships can tap into a bottomless pool of potential partners. That means, who we are…
You may find it surprising to hear that according to a 2021 YouGov study, 41% of Americans reported to possess some belief in ghosts or spirits of the supernatural. While a discussion of those statistics is beyond the scope of this article, for those of…
One of our most influential and often longest-lasting relationships is with our siblings. Our relationships with them are significant to our development. As our family structure members linked by marriage or bloodline continue to change in the United States, the attachment to our siblings can…
Have you ever been in a relationship where you have been with your partner, then broken up, and then gotten back together? Have you both done this more than once? If you have, you are experiencing something called “relationship cycling,” also known as an “on…
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,…
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…
