Losing weight—especially with the help of medications like Ozempic or Wegovy, or through bariatric surgery—can be a game-changer for health and self-confidence.

But what happens to your relationship when one partner undergoes such a major transformation? While the health benefits are clear, the emotional and relational impacts can be more complicated than you’d expect.

Research shows that these changes can bring couples closer or create unexpected tension (Svensson et al., 2018).

The Emotional Shifts That Come with Weight Loss

In a world where traditional family structures are shifting, many people are turning to an unexpected source for connection—social media.

From Facebook groups to TikTok communities, some are seeking and forming surrogate families, filling the emotional gaps left by estrangement, distance, or the loss of loved ones.

While this may sound like a plot from a futuristic novel, the reality is that online surrogate families are emerging as a profoundly human response to modern isolation.

Why Are Surrogate Families Becoming Popular?

For decades, the Hollywood (and Wall Street) playbook dictated that a successful man should trade in his wife for a younger model around the time his hair started to gray.

This expectation was so ingrained in the culture that it became a punchline—think Leonardo DiCaprio’s infamous inability to date a woman over 25.

But in a surprising twist, 2025 has brought us an exciting new trend: age-appropriate relationships.

Yes, dating someone within a reasonable age range of your own is now hot.

Could this be the end of the Trophy Wife Era?

Emotional infidelity can be just as devastating as physical betrayal, leaving partners feeling disconnected, betrayed, and uncertain about the future.

Unlike a physical affair, emotional affairs strike at the core of trust, creating deep wounds that can linger long after the deception has been exposed.

However, for couples willing to commit to healing, rebuilding intimacy is possible.

This post explores the challenges, steps, and research-backed strategies for restoring emotional and physical closeness after emotional infidelity.

So, you’ve been “seeing” someone for a year.

You go on cute coffee dates, send memes back and forth, and sometimes even hold hands in public. But every time you bring up “What are we?”

they dodge the question like a seasoned Olympic sprinter. You’re not single, but you’re not really together either.

Congratulations. You’re in a situationship. Why date when you can drift?

Now, let’s crank the emotional turmoil up a notch. What if you’re not just in a situationship—what if you’ve settled for one?

Welcome to the era of Situationship Settlers, where people camp out in undefined relationships like they’re waiting for Coachella tickets that may never go on sale.

What Is a Situationship Settler?

It’s a Tuesday night, and you’re holding a bingo card, dabbing away like your cognitive health depends on it, because It might.

A new study from Rush University Medical Center suggests that being a social butterfly—even if your wings only take you to bingo night, Sunday brunch, or the local diner—could delay dementia by a whopping five years.

That’s five extra years of remembering your grandkids’ names, finding your car in the parking lot, and generally keeping your marbles where they belong.

Romance is a fickle beast—what seems like a dreamy match at 25 might look very different at 65.

A new study published in Personal Relationships sheds light on the fascinating evolution of age gaps in romantic relationships, proving once again that love is as much a shifting social construct as it is a timeless mystery.

The research, spanning data from 29 countries, reveals a consistent trend: as men age, they are increasingly likely to pair up with younger partners.

Women, meanwhile, follow a subtler trajectory, initially favoring slightly older men before eventually prioritizing companionship and shared life experience over traditional age norms.

But before older men start congratulating themselves for their ever-widening dating pool, let’s take a closer look. As the old adage warns: Be careful what you wish for. A relationship with a younger partner might seem like a golden ticket, but research suggests it can come with unexpected trade-offs.

What is St-ick-ing?

Modern dating culture is obsessed with the ick—those small, often trivial habits or quirks that inexplicably turn you off a potential partner.

Maybe they clap when the plane lands. Maybe they wear socks to bed. Maybe they text with too many emojis (or not enough).

The St-ick-ing Meme is the quiet rebellion against nitpicking in relationships.

St-ick-ing is the act of choosing to look past minor annoyances and focus on the bigger picture—compatibility, values, emotional security, and shared joy.

In an age where dating apps provide an endless buffet of new romantic options, st-ick-ing is a radical choice: a commitment to depth over superficiality.

What Is Liminal Anxiety?

Liminal anxiety is the unease, uncertainty, and emotional turbulence that arise in transitional life phases. The term "liminal" comes from the Latin word limen, meaning "threshold"—a fitting metaphor for moments when we are no longer who we were, but not yet who we will become.

These in-between spaces—career changes, breakups, relocations, personal transformations—are often filled with self-doubt, instability, and fear of the unknown.

Here’s some trending news. Love doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

In a world where inflation is up, rent is sky-high, and student loans loom like storm clouds, dating can feel like yet another financial burden.

Let’s talk about affordating—the art of keeping romance alive without breaking the bank.

Whether you're in a new relationship or keeping the spark alive in a long-term one, creative and budget-friendly dating can strengthen your bond just as much (if not more) than expensive nights out.

Modern dating—the land of left swipes, "wyd?" texts at 2 AM, and now… fizzling.

If ghosting wasn’t bad enough, we’ve evolved (or devolved?) into something even more insidious: soft ghosting, aka "fizzling."

Wait, What Is Fizzling?

Fizzling is what happens when someone doesn’t outright disappear like a ghost but slowly fades into the abyss, one unanswered text at a time.

They’re not gone—not yet—but they’re definitely not here either. Think of it as a Wi-Fi signal slowly dropping to one bar before disconnecting altogether. One minute, you're sharing memes and planning weekend brunches, and the next, you're waiting three days for a dry "haha" reply.

Why Do People Fizzle Instead of Just Breaking Up?

Remember that person who ghosted you six months ago?

The one who vanished into thin air, leaving your texts on read and your dignity in the gutter?

Well, guess what? They're back.

Just when you finally moved on, they emerge from the digital graveyard with a casual "Hey, stranger." Congratulations! You’ve just been zombied.

What Is Zombieing?