Relationships 2.0: The Price of Disconnection

Is there a research-backed way to make love last? In The Love Prescription, relationship researchers Julie Schwartz Gottman and John Gottman argue that long-lasting love is sustained by small, daily acts. They explain that regularly practicing behaviors such as expressing gratitude for your partner and being honest about your needs make all the difference for long-term love.

In this guide, we’ll explain why small acts sustain healthy relationships and discuss how to implement the most crucial habits in your romantic life. You’ll learn how to express gratitude for your partner’s admirable actions, ask deep questions to stay connected with them, and make time for date night no matter what. We’ll also compare the Gottmans’ approach to the ideas of other relationship and communication experts, including Mark Goulston (Just Listen) and Gary Chapman (The 5 Love Languages).

Why do we make the same bad choices over and over? Why do we constantly find ourselves in unfulfilling relationships, hating our jobs, and rubbing people the wrong way—and not knowing why? The authors of The School of Life have an answer: because you lack emotional intelligence. According to them, we’re not taught how to understand and cope with our feelings and the feelings of others, and this leads us to make poor decisions and to be miserable. However, by developing emotional intelligence across several realms of life, you can better understand yourself and lead a happier life.

The School of Life is an educational organization that offers materials to support personal growth. Several of its authors collaborated on this book. In this guide, we’ll discuss the authors’ argument that we don’t have emotional intelligence and examine how they say you can gain emotional intelligence about yourself, others, relationships, and work. We’ll supplement this with scientific research that backs up or contradicts some of the authors’ claims, and with insights from other self-help authors on ways to implement the authors’ advice.

We all have a deep-rooted need to be loved, but often a rift opens between our romantic partners and ourselves. Why does this happen, and can anything be done?

In Getting the Love You Want, Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt suggest that we unconsciously seek out romantic partners to help us resolve unfinished business from our childhood. When our partners fail to meet our unconscious expectations, our relationships fall apart. To prevent this, Hendrix and Hunt designed a process to change the way couples interact, allowing them to learn about their unconscious needs and to transform their lives into a conscious, loving union.

This guide will explore the psychological principles that affect how we relate to those closest to us, what science and relationship experts reveal about how our childhoods shape our adult lives, and how a struggling couple can learn to talk to each other, heal, and grow. We’ll also examine how the authors’ approach compares to other methods of couples therapy and to the ideas of other relationship experts.

Although we live longer today and have more material wealth than ever, many people feel anxious rather than happy. In Flow, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi offers an antidote. People are happiest when they feel in control of their inner thoughts and feelings and experience a “flow state”: a sense of enjoyment, purpose, and meaning.

Csikszentmihalyi explains: how controlling and ordering your consciousness brings flow and enjoyment, which personality characteristics produce flow, and how to find flow in your work and relationships.

In a world where activism often leads to burnout and justice work is frequently associated with sacrifice, adrienne maree brown argues that social justice work can—and should—be rooted in joy and satisfaction. Pleasure Activism is a collection of essays, interviews, and conversations that explores the transformative power of pleasure—both as a path to personal healing and a catalyst for social change. brown examines what genuine pleasure means and how embracing it can transform your approach to activism from one of struggle and sacrifice to one that centers joy and fulfillment.

This guide defines pleasure activism and its historical roots, then discusses its potential impact on personal and political transformation—from sex to interpersonal relationships to broader systemic change. Throughout the guide, we’ll provide additional background on the activists and authors brown cites, and we’ll offer practical advice on how to implement the principles of pleasure activism in your life and work.

Do you constantly get swept away by your emotions? Would you like to learn how to control your emotional reactions at home or at work? Or maybe you’re uncomfortable with emotions, and don’t understand why you or anyone else feels them? Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman is a comprehensive look at what emotions are and why we have them, how we can get better at managing them, and why the well-being of humanity might depend on us doing so.

In How to Know a Person, New York Times columnist David Brooks argues that our ability to truly understand and connect with others is in crisis. As a result, we have problems like political polarization, mental health issues, and an epidemic of loneliness. Brooks contends that by rediscovering the lost art of “knowing” people, we can bridge divides, foster empathy, and rebuild our moral character.

This guide explores Brooks’s key insights on seeing people as individuals, appreciating diverse perspectives, and recognizing the inherent dignity of every person around you. You’ll learn practical strategies for deeper listening, asking meaningful questions, and cultivating crucial social skills. We’ll also compare his insights on social behavior and relationships to those of other experts and look at how Brooks’s advice aligns with research on understanding and communicating with each other.

Why do we make the same bad choices over and over? Why do we constantly find ourselves in unfulfilling relationships, hating our jobs, and rubbing people the wrong way—and not knowing why? The authors of The School of Life have an answer: because you lack emotional intelligence. According to them, we’re not taught how to understand and cope with our feelings and the feelings of others, and this leads us to make poor decisions and to be miserable. However, by developing emotional intelligence across several realms of life, you can better understand yourself and lead a happier life.

The School of Life is an educational organization that offers materials to support personal growth. Several of its authors collaborated on this book. In this guide, we’ll discuss the authors’ argument that we don’t have emotional intelligence and examine how they say you can gain emotional intelligence about yourself, others, relationships, and work. We’ll supplement this with scientific research that backs up or contradicts some of the authors’ claims, and with insights from other self-help authors on ways to implement the authors’ advice.