In September 2025, Olivia Tai trekked to Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco with a makeshift box, blank notecards and a cardboard sign with a message scrawled in Sharpie: “Confessions Box: Tell Me Your AI Secret.” She set up her DIY confessions booth on a sidewalk and hid out of sight, waiting for passersby to…
I can’t stop thinking about Gloria Steinem’s living room. For years, Steinem gathered people in her New York City brownstone and asked them to sit together, without a head of the table, without hierarchy. She called them “Talking Circles.” She said the practice was inspired in part by Indigenous traditions of gathering in a circle,…
When people ask me what causes the most damage in a relationship, they expect me to list out the usual suspects, like financial trouble or intimacy problems. And they’re not wrong to guess that, since both money and sex come up constantly in research on conflict. But as a psychologist who’s spent years studying couples,…
The American Dream, much like the country it inspires, is in a state of constant change. Ask 100 people what the ideal means to them, and you’ll likely get just as many answers. Most might agree, for example, that the American Dream includes achieving financial stability or being happy, but what that looks like is…
“We just don’t talk anymore.” That’s one of the most common complaints I hear in my psychotherapy office from couples stuck in a communication rut. They often say they feel more like roommates than romantic partners. There’s nothing wrong with asking “How was work today?” But repeating it day after day rarely gets you past…
Many parents assume that if they’re close to their child, their child will naturally open up to them. But after years of working with families and studying more than 200 parent-child relationships, I’ve found that closeness alone doesn’t always mean children will feel safe opening up. Children are more likely to open up when they…
Many people think that charisma is an innate trait. As a behavioral researcher who has spent over 10 years studying what makes people magnetic, I’ve found that this isn’t the case. Highly charismatic people have conversation patterns that they use to be more memorable. But anyone can use them to make stronger connections and leave…
No one is born with perfect people skills. Kids learn people skills — including communication, emotional intelligence, boundary setting, and empathy — by watching their trusted adults and practicing in real-life scenarios in safe environments. As a certified child life specialist and licensed therapist who has supported thousands of kids and families, I’ve seen these…
When people think about what makes a relationship successful, their first instinct is to focus on the big things like communication, trust, commitment, honesty and shared values. But as a psychologist who studies couples, I’ve found that the happiest ones pay attention to the small moments that have a big impact every day. They create…
People love their AI companions. And they’re increasingly relying on AI to navigate the hardest parts of human relationships. Between 2022 and mid-2025, the number of AI companion apps surged by 700%. Surveys have found that seven in 10 Gen Zers use AI to navigate workplace conflicts, and about half use it in their dating…
