Relationship news, decoded

Start with something easy to answer, ask about what they just told you, and suggest a plan before the chat fizzles out. Below: 12 texts sorted by moment, why they work, and what research on first conversations says about how you really come across.

In a Harris Poll survey commissioned by World, 74% of U.S. online daters said they had suspected a match was fake, and 81% of singles said verified profiles would make them more likely to use an app. What it means, and how to check kindly.

The texts that make him grin at his phone are usually small, specific and a little bit about him. Below: 12 messages for a crush, a boyfriend or a husband, why they work, and what a BYU study found about sweet texts and happier couples.

In a BYU study of nearly 1,700 young married U.S. couples, those who exercised together reported better communication, more peaceful conflict resolution and less marital conflict. Walking was the most common shared activity. What it means, what it doesn’t prove, and what to say on your next walk.

The U.S. recorded 662,950 divorces and annulments in 2024 in the states that report them, a rate of 2.3 per 1,000 people, down from 4.0 in 2000, according to provisional CDC data. Here’s what the numbers do and don’t say, and how to talk about problems while they’re still small.

More than half of U.S. holiday shoppers say the economy will affect their spending this year, according to a National Retail Federation survey of 8,094 adults. Couples can set a gift budget and choose meaningful gifts to head off holiday money fights.

Zola, a U.S. wedding-planning company, surveyed more than 11,500 couples getting married in 2026: the average wedding costs $36,000 for the second year in a row, with 145 guests. See who pays, what’s changing and the money talks that can help you avoid wedding-planning fights.

Gallup found that 21% of U.S. adults felt lonely a lot of the previous day in mid-2025, the highest level since 2021, and 29% of adults under 30 did. See what the data shows, plus simple messages that make reconnecting easier.

Among people who told the US Federal Trade Commission they lost money to a romance scam in 2025, nearly 60% said it started on social media. How these scams work, the warning signs, and exactly what to say when someone you’ve never met asks for money.

The Harris Poll says 53% of engaged or married Gen Z and Millennial Americans have signed a prenup, yet asking for one can still sting. What the polls do and don’t show, when to raise it, and words you can use so your partner feels included instead of accused.

A Bankrate survey found that 43% of U.S. adults think keeping financial secrets from a partner is at least as bad as physical infidelity, and 45% of couples don’t know everything about each other’s finances. How to come clean, or bring it up, without blowing up your relationship.

A Psychological Science study of 382,078 adults in Great Britain found the happiness gap between couples and singles grows where more people are partnered, while singles stay about as satisfied. A second study followed long-term singles for 11 years.

In a study of 320 adults whose long relationships had ended, it took about 4.18 years, on average, for the emotional bond to an ex to fade halfway. If you're still not over yours, you're not behind, and a few small choices can help, especially around the holidays.

A Pew Research Center analysis found that 77% of Americans in their late 30s and early 40s have lived with a partner they weren’t married to. Here’s what the data says about how those relationships turn out, and the conversations to have before you sign a lease.

A new psychology explainer published in October breaks down why attraction can flip to repulsion in seconds. Add a peer-reviewed study in which 64% of single adults had felt the ick and 26% ended things on the spot, and the lesson is clear: pause before you bail.

A YouGov poll found 39% of U.S. adults have been in a situationship, and 50% of those aged 18 to 34. Researchers at Baylor and Curtin University describe why these undefined bonds feel so good and hurt so much. Here’s how to get clarity before the holiday invites start.

Record numbers of Americans hit the road for Thanksgiving last year, and holiday travel is not cheap. Here’s how couples can decide where to go, split the costs and tell both families, without anyone feeling like the loser.

The Knot Worldwide has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Zola, and both say they will keep running as separate consumer brands. Here’s what the deal does and doesn’t change for engaged couples, plus the conversations that keep wedding planning from turning into a fight.

In a study of more than 500 couples, political differences were linked to only slightly lower relationship quality. Here’s what the research and a 2026 poll show, and how to talk politics with your partner without a fight.

A survey for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found 31% of U.S. adults have slept apart from a partner to get better rest. Sleep experts say the key is how you talk about it. Here’s how to bring it up without hurt feelings.

A new study of 603 young men found that how stable people felt their relationships were statistically explained differences in attachment anxiety and avoidance. Here’s what that means if you keep wondering where things are going, and how to ask without scaring anyone off.

More than half of young wedding guests say they feel obligated to attend weddings they can’t afford, and nearly a third of Americans have turned down an invitation because of cost. Here’s how to say no kindly, what to text the couple and how to keep the friendship strong.

Cornell research found that our longest-lasting regrets are usually about what we didn’t do. Other studies show people badly underestimate how much a surprise message or a thank-you means to the person who gets it. Here’s why that unsent text matters, and how to send it.

A study of more than 10,000 couples found the average engagement ring cost $4,600 in 2025, down from $5,200, as lab-grown diamonds took over. Here’s what that means if you’re thinking about proposing this holiday season.

The Kinsey Institute’s 2026 Singles in America survey found that 49% of U.S. singles have fallen for someone they weren’t initially attracted to, and 41% would give an unexciting first date a second chance. Here’s what that means for you, and what to text next.

Zola’s 2026 First Look Report, a survey of more than 11,500 couples, found that 68% decided together when to get engaged and 55% shopped for rings as a team. Here’s why that conversation matters and how to start it so it feels exciting, not like an ultimatum.

After more than four years together, the Selling Sunset star and the Australian musician confirmed their split on October 26 with words of love, not blame. Here’s what their statements can teach anyone going through a breakup.

A new University of Granada study finds that a divorce can shape your support network for decades, leaving some older adults, especially fathers, cut off from their children. U.S. research shows a similar split. Here’s why it happens and what to say to keep your family close.

In five studies at commercial haunted attractions, people who felt more fear said the night brought them closer to their companions. Their measured closeness barely moved, though, and interviews pointed to why: the bond seems to form when you talk and laugh about it afterward.

Margaret Qualley and Jack Antonoff filed an uncontested divorce in Brooklyn on Friday after three years of marriage, AP reports. Here’s what “uncontested” means, what research says about staying friends with an ex, and what to say to keep your own split kind.

A national study of 5,001 U.S. singles found AI is moving from novelty to habit, especially for Gen Z. Here’s what people use it for, where they draw the line, and how to use it without sounding like a robot.

A two-part study of 452 women and 156 couples in the U.S. and U.K. links a fairer split of the mental load (the planning, remembering and emotional care behind a home) to women’s relationship satisfaction more strongly than who does the chores. Here’s what it found and how to talk about it.

A study of four national surveys found that satisfaction fades in two stages before a breakup: a slow slide that can last years, then a sharp drop starting one to two years before the split. Here’s how to tell a rough patch from real decline, and what to say.

Every fall, singles start looking for someone to share the winter with. A decade of Google search data suggests the real trigger is the holiday calendar, not the weather. Here’s how to tell a winter fling from the real thing.

New research explains why the same hug can feel like comfort to one person and pressure to another, and what that means for your relationship.

A new national survey found that 65% of married or cohabiting Americans call money a top source of stress in their relationship. Here is why money fights hit so hard, and the words that keep them calm.