highly regarded psychologist and researcher john gottman, ph.d. suggests that there are four stages to this sequence which he has labeled, “the four horsemen of the apocalypse”. such disagreements can be caused by any number of reasons, but might involve a clash of spousal values on core topics such as whether to have children, or how to handle money. in the second stage of the breakdown process, one or both spouses starts to feel contempt for the other, and each …

even months after we split, sundays when my kids are with their dad and i would have otherwise spent with my ex-boyfriend, i instead engaged in unseemly behavior like walking around the streets of manhattan while bawling uncontrollably, listening to john legend on a loop, and reading the wikipedia page on carrie and mr. big. you are likely as i was: needing to go through that rebound and the subsequent pain. it served as a critical point of reference through …

that is not the way for a relationship to survive the covid-19 quarantine. these can be a source of positivity at any time, and couples stuck at home together can use them to happily “nostalgize”—a verb coined by social psychologists who have discovered remarkable benefits in reliving the past. you can try to regularly make a list of your partner’s traits for which you’re grateful, and also make a point of telling your partner what you admire about them.

if …