You’ve seen the signs for months: the spiraling texts, the ill-timed meltdowns, the same painful story on repeat. You care about this person. You’re exhausted by this person.…
Read more Can I Tell Someone They Need Therapy?The tiniest quirks in our speech can change how we’re perceived. But, um, filler words aren’t the villains they’re made out to be. They’re, you know, working behind…
Read more How to, Like, Stop Saying Filler WordsFrom childhood, honesty is framed as a moral north star. Tell the truth. Don’t lie. Say what you mean, no matter the cost. But adult relationships quickly expose…
Read more When Honesty Is Overrated in RelationshipsFour words have echoed across every boardroom, dating app, and city street in the world: You should smile more. Anastasia Ryan has heard it her whole life, but…
Read more What to Say When Someone Tells You to Smile MoreCouples ask each other countless questions over the course of a day, a year, an entire relationship. Many are trivial: Chinese or Thai for dinner? Need anything from…
Read more The 1 Question to Deepen Your Romantic RelationshipDoctors don’t just examine bodies—they also decode language. And some words and phrases make them lean in, ask more questions, and rethink what might be going on. A…
Read more 8 Phrases That Will Instantly Get Your Doctor’s AttentionWeight loss now comes with a silent asterisk. When bodies change quickly or noticeably, assumptions often follow—and so does the desire to ask one potentially fraught question: Did…
Read more When It’s OK to Ask Someone if They’re on Ozempic—And When It’s NotEarly in Kip Williams’ career as a social psychologist, he was at the park with his dog in Des Moines, Iowa, when a flying disc landed on his…
Read more What to Do If Your Friends Keep Leaving You OutYour group chat probably seemed like a good idea at first. But now, your phone won’t stop buzzing. The memes are piling up, your college roommate is making…
Read more How to Gracefully Exit Your Group ChatAsking the older people in your life questions isn’t just about recording a birth location, marriage date, or occupation to flesh out a family tree. It’s far more…
Read more 10 Meaningful Questions to Ask the Older People You LoveThe wrong question can sour the whole mood of a gathering with family or friends. Some questions are boring or intrusive or too ambiguous; others are meant to…
Read more The Best Question to Ask at a PartyOpening a present during the holidays while surrounded by onlookers can trigger excitement—or dread. The person giving you a gift likely poured time, money, and a whole lot…
Read more The 2 Words to Say When You Get a Gift You Don’t LikeDepending who you ask, ‘tis the season to be jolly—or nosy. Holiday gatherings are like catnip for friends and family members who only see each other once a…
Read more Therapists Are Begging You Not to Ask These 10 Questions This Holiday SeasonIf you would have seen Nora McInerny at her 35-year-old husband’s funeral, you might have thought she’d never looked better. That was the consensus “according to so many…
Read more How to Respond to ‘How Are You?’ When You’re Not OKSay goodbye to abrupt departures, that awkward am-I-staying-or-going dance, and hovering anxiously (and conspicuously) near the door. There’s an art to bidding your host adieu, even if you’re…
Read more The 4-Word Trick to Saying a Great GoodbyeThe holidays aren’t merry for everyone. Some are reeling from the new or old sting of loss, or struggling with complicated family dynamics that suck the magic out…
Read more Here’s How to Tell Your Friends and Family You’re Skipping the Holidays—And Keep the PeaceHoliday greeting cards are dashing through the mail system—a festive treat that reminds recipients somebody, somewhere, is thinking of them and wishing them well. They’re a rarity in…
Read more 10 Elements of a Perfect Holiday CardThere you sit, happily spooning mashed potatoes onto your plate, when Uncle Larry starts spouting off his unique views about politics and the conspiracy theory he read about…
Read more 10 Ways to Gracefully Change the SubjectWhen a couple gets divorced, everyone in their orbit is affected—not just the two people whose “I do” turned into “I don’t.” And boy, does that crowd have…
Read more The 9 Worst Things to Say to Someone Getting DivorcedMay we borrow a moment of your time to review basic niceties? You might think you’ve heard them all before—because you have—but certain polite lingo is dropping out…
Read more 7 Polite Phrases That Are Still Worth Saying