Here’s the scene: You’re sitting down for dinner, and out of nowhere, your partner says, “I think we should revisit that unresolved emotional issue from last week after we’ve both processed it.”

Sound a little familiar?

If your partner has spent their weekend binging self-help podcasts, reading relationship books, and sprinkling therapy terms into everyday conversation, congratulations—you’re in a therapy-adjacent relationship.

In this post, we’ll explore what it means to be therapy-adjacent, why armchair therapy isn’t quite the same as actual therapy, and dive into the science behind why self-help can sometimes miss the mark.

A recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders uncovers significant genetic links between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and risk-taking behavior.

The findings reveal a genetic overlap between the two traits, suggesting that individuals with ADHD may be genetically predisposed to engage in impulsive or risky actions.

This research provides valuable insight into the biological foundations of ADHD and its connection to behaviors marked by poor impulse control.

What Is ADHD and Why Is It Linked to Risk-Taking Behavior?

We’ve all been there—saying sorry for something that hasn’t even happened yet.

Whether it’s a playful apology for being late before you’ve even left the house, or apologizing in advance for the fight you think you’re bound to have, the Preemptive Apology is a classic relationship behavior.

This meme-worthy moment taps into our shared experience of relationship anxiety and the desire to keep the peace at all costs.

In this post, we’re going deep into the psychology behind the Preemptive Apology, how it’s driven by anticipatory anxiety, and why we often apologize for things that haven’t even occurred.

We’ll add a dash of humor and back it up with social science research, because like most funny relationship memes, there’s a lot more beneath the surface.

We’ve all heard of the U-Haul lesbian stereotype: two women go on a date, sparks fly, and by the second date, they’re practically moving in together. It’s a long-running joke in the LGBTQ+ community, but like all good humor, it’s rooted in truth.

Welcome to the world of the Emotional U-Haul, where feelings get packed up and moved in way too soon. But don’t worry—this dynamic isn’t exclusive to lesbians; it can happen to anyone who’s ever fast-tracked a relationship.

Whether you're dating a man, woman, or non-binary partner, if you’ve found yourself emotionally “moving in” way too early, this blog is for you.

So, why does the Emotional U-Haul happen?

Let’s dive into the whirlwind of intense emotions, the science behind quick relationship attachment, and the sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking reality of moving in emotionally before your relationship is fully ready to handle it.

Marriages are evolving in ways that were once unimaginable. One concept that is quietly emerging in social media discussions and relationship blogs is the Silent Divorce.

While not a legal divorce, a Silent Divorce refers to a situation where married couples stay together legally but become emotionally disconnected, living parallel lives under the same roof.

This growing phenomenon is becoming increasingly common as couples face emotional distance while maintaining the outward appearance of a stable marriage.

This post-pandemic reality has created fertile ground for the Silent Divorce concept to spread across online platforms, mirroring the rise of "quiet quitting" in the workplace.

While couples may not experience outright conflict or fights, the absence of emotional intimacy signals a significant breakdown in the relationship. As many social scientists and marriage therapists note, emotional disengagement can be as damaging as open conflict in a marriage (Markman et al., 2010).

When we think about Trumpism, it's easy to focus on political arguments, media coverage, or even social media debates.

But if we take a step back and look at Trumpism through the lens of psychoanalysis, things get even more interesting.

In this post, we’re going to dive into two fascinating thinkers, Jacques Lacan and Wilhelm Reich, and how their theories can help us better understand the powerful psychological forces that fuel movements like Trumpism.

Let’s explore how Lacan’s ideas of identification and desire and Reich’s thoughts on repression and authoritarianism help explain why Trumpism has such a hold on many of its followers—and why, for some, it feels more like a personal connection than a political preference.

In A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America, Bruce Cannon Gibney argues that the Baby Boomer generation (born between 1946 and 1964) is largely responsible for America’s current economic, political, and environmental crises.

Gibney's thesis rests on the assertion that this generation, blessed with unprecedented post-war prosperity, acted in ways that served their short-term interests while ignoring or outright harming the long-term well-being of society.

He labels their collective behavior as "sociopathic"—marked by a lack of empathy for future generations—and draws a compelling, data-driven case for how Boomer-driven policies have set the country on a dangerous path.

Hugh Hefner stepped off the escalator into Hell like a man who thought he’d arrived at another one of his parties, half-expecting someone to hand him a drink and say, "Welcome, Hef."

But there was no red carpet, no silk-clad women, no velvet ropes. Just a thick, sticky heat and the sulfuric stench of rot that clung to him like a bad cologne. Hell had no use for luxury.

He lit his pipe—one of the few things they didn’t take from him—and made his way through the crowd of lost souls. His silk robe clung to him in the swelter, no longer a symbol of his control but a joke, a relic of his long-expired myth.

That’s when he saw her.

Paige Young. She was seated in the far corner, her face expressionless, but her eyes locked on him the moment he entered. No emotion, no drama—just the cold stare of someone who’s been waiting a very long time.

If you’ve ever scrolled through social media, you’ve likely seen memes capturing the essence of existential dread—a feeling that often hits gifted individuals harder than most. Memes like “What’s the point of anything?” featuring Rick from Rick and Morty offer a humorous take on grappling with life’s meaning, but for the gifted, it goes much deeper.

Gifted people are often exposed to philosophical thinking at an early age, making them question the purpose of life long before others do. They tend to see the world through a more analytical lens, often feeling disconnected from the simple pleasures others enjoy. Dark humor becomes a way to cope with this ongoing existential questioning, a sentiment famously reflected in the works of Ayn Rand, Kurt Vonnegut, and Albert Camus.

As a marriage and family therapist, I’ve often worked with adults who were labeled as “gifted” as children.

What I’ve found is that the pressure of being a high achiever early in life can sometimes lead to something many call Gifted Kid Burnout—a unique blend of exhaustion, perfectionism, and underachievement that strikes in adulthood.

You might have seen it depicted in memes like “Remember when you were the smartest kid in class? Now you’re just tired.” While these memes offer a funny take on the experience, they highlight a real struggle faced by many gifted folks.

Gifted kid burnout has become a hot topic on social media, with countless people relating to the feeling of early promise and adult fatigue.

But what exactly causes this, and how can former “gifted kids” navigate it? Let’s dive deeper into the phenomenon, explore the research behind it, and talk about some practical ways to address the burnout.

As a marriage and family therapist, I often see parents scratching their heads, wondering how their once-carefree child morphed into a bundle of nerves, stress, and self-doubt overnight.

Adolescence is a delicate balancing act—hormones raging, friendships shifting, and suddenly your kid feels like they’re living in a pressure cooker.

But beyond the teenage drama, something much deeper is happening: their personality and self-esteem are shaping and reshaping each other in fascinating ways.

A new study published in the Journal of Personality & Social Psychology explores this dynamic by analyzing how personality traits predict changes in self-esteem during adolescence and, conversely, how self-esteem influences the evolution of personality traits.

This study, conducted by Kristina Bien and colleagues, provides a roadmap for understanding these interactions. Spoiler alert: it’s like the personality-self-esteem tango, where sometimes you lead, and other times, you’re stumbling over your feet.