Today I am going to write about something you already know. The question is, what have you done, or will you do about it? I have known it all my life, and yet my knowledge has not prevented me from making, in the past, some pretty devastating mistakes. The issue I am talking about is: …
The Lure of False Romance: Believing What We Want to Believe Read More »
Aaron and Suzanne get through the days together. They wake up, take care of the kids, go to work, come home from work, take care of the kids, maybe watch TV, maybe make love, go to sleep. As with so many relationships, there is nothing terribly wrong. Yet, something is wrong. They both know it. …
David and Eleanor knew they each had found the right person. Not only did they know it; so did all their friends! And their family! And even the people with whom they worked! So why are they now on the verge of breaking up? The obvious question to ask, of course, is what went wrong? …
8 Tips on How to Deal with the Unpredictability of Relationships Read More »
Ursula found Derek to be alluring, somewhat mysterious, fun, but a bit domineering. Nevertheless, he seemed to be exactly what she needed at the point of life she had reached. The one thing she knew is that she did not want another man who was either boring or, in a word, servile. This time she …
If one were to choose the worst thing that could happen to a married couple, having their child disappear would have to be near the top of the list. In January 1994, Ylenia Carrisi vanished off the face of the Earth. She was visiting New Orleans at the time, and so far as everyone knew, …
10 Tips to Save Your Relationship When Life Throws You a Curveball Read More »
Most of us think we are too smart to fall for liars, but all of us, from time to time, fall for them anyway. Really, who, at some time or another, has not believed a lie, only to wonder later how we possibly could have fallen for it? I think I’m reasonably smart—far from brilliant, …
Marie and Eric had once been what Marie considered to be a fairy-tale love story. It was romantic, it was exciting, and most of all, it was the kind of relationship she was confident would endure forever. They went out to romantic dinners, they went dancing, Eric surprised her with presents. They made passionate love. That …
One of the best predictors of the attractiveness of a face is also one that people don’t much think about or perhaps even consciously notice. It is symmetry. People—both men and women—perceive symmetrical faces as more attractive, on average, than asymmetrical ones. It’s only an average, so it doesn’t work every time. But it’s a …
When we meet someone, or even well after we meet them, a question we may have to confront is whether we are with someone we can trust. Are they someone who pretends to be one thing but is actually another? We all have our pretensions. But some people go beyond normal pretensions and portray themselves …
I once was in a relationship with a woman who was extremely suspicious. I had not realized this, obviously, when I got into the relationship. But soon enough I discovered that she was always suspicious. I would introduce her to a female colleague, and she would be convinced that I was having an intimate …
Suspicion! When Paranoia Gets the Better of a Relationship Read More »