Whenever reporters capture feel-good stories of couples who have celebrated 50 years of marriage (or more), the always ask the same question: “What is the key to a long, happy marriage?” And nearly every time, the happy couple offers the same age-old wisdom, like not going to bed angry, working out differences, knowing how to […]

I grew up in a rather strict household. I was grounded pretty often, not because I was a trouble-maker, but because I didn’t live up to some pretty lofty expectations. I wasn’t allowed to question rules, or pretty much speak up at all. Everything I said or did was minutely scrutinized. So how did I […]

My attachment styles have always ever been a reflection of where I was in my life. When I was young and naïve, I would get attached rather quickly, fall much harder, and change who I was to make my partner’s happy. When I got a little older, I put up emotional walls, never letting my […]

In a previous blog, we started looking at the top ten emotional intelligence competencies that contribute to relationship satisfaction. Let’s take a look at the rest: Comfort with Emotions Score for the satisfied group: 63 Score for the unsatisfied group: 44 Your emotions are a part of who you are; to deny them is to […]

I’m going to be honest: When I first heard the theories on emotional intelligence, I thought it was a ridiculous fad. It sounded like someone was trying to sell people an idea (and a few books) on a wanky, fluffy concept. It reminded me of that episode on the Simpsons where a self-help guru made […]

I was sifting through the data for our Relationship Attachment Style Test. Theory and data do little for me unless I can connect them with real life. In university, when I read Freud’s theories, I just couldn’t wrap my head around them – and not just because he’s insights are borderline ridiculous. I just couldn’t translate […]

In the early or “honeymoon” stage of a relationship, couples strive to put their best foot forward. They’ll groom themselves to perfection, plucking nose hairs and shaving above the knee. They’ll go out of their way to be romantic (chocolate-caviar cake pops, anyone?), and may exaggerate a strength or two in an effort to impress […]

I can’t bring myself to watch most reality shows – they make me shudder, like when I see a spider, or smell milk that has gone bad. Like that reality show where the little girls are dolled up to be pageant princesses, or the one where the parents are raising a biblical amount of children. While […]

I think that a large degree of Chef Gordon Ramsey’s bark is a whole lot of bluff. Add a pulsing forehead vein, a few a bleepity bleep bleeps from the network censor, some sweaty and terrified wannabe chefs, and a crab-stuffed filet mignon in peppercorn sauce and you’ve got an hour of entertainment. To what […]

These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, Which, as they kiss, consume. Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene VI Ten years ago, my friend was dating a girl who was several years younger than him (but a legal age – no worries). After a few months, she […]

Here’s something that we all need to understand: Toxic relationships are a two-way street. I can’t tell you how many times someone has asked me, “Why does this person treat me this way?” To which I reply (in the same compassionate yet firm way a very wise person answered me just a few years ago): […]

I have this strange quirk. On the rare, “unicorn farting rainbows” occasion when I do reveal something private about myself, you won’t hear from me again for a while. I’ll go MIA. Don’t call me, don’t come over. Don’t send a St. Bernard to look for me in the Swiss Alps. I won’t want to […]