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Rachel Vanderbilt, PhD
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Let's kill the situationship.
The idea of an in-between relationship, something more intimate than a friendship but less committed than a committed dating relationship has existed forever. But, in 2026, the situationship is something beyond an undefined, casual, or ambiguous relationship. It is is an abomination meant to allow people to fully avoid the friction or discomfort essential to the healthy functioning of close interpersonal relationships. Let me explain. Am I in a situationship or something else

Rachel Vanderbilt
Jul 185 min read


Is texting cheating? What the science says about infidelity in romantic relationships.
When most people think about cheating, they most often think about physical acts with another person. That is a clear, hard boundary in most romantic relationships that people know not to step beyond. Where boundaries get fuzzier is when other kinds of thoughts, feelings, or actions cross the line. With the vast majority of people disapproving of infidelity, finding it unforgivable (Gallop Poll, 2025), understanding where those boundaries are is important. Let's dig into what

Rachel Vanderbilt
Jul 173 min read


Does living together before marriage increase your risk of divorce?
This is one of the most pervasive statistical misunderstandings shared online today. The quick answer is no, it does not. You should live together with your partner before getting married. History of the Living Together Before Marriage Statistic Let's start by talking about the history of this statistic. In the 1980s researchers explored how people who lived together before marriage faired in their resulting marriages. They did find this behavior to be correlated with increas

Rachel Vanderbilt
Jan 4, 20245 min read


Ask Dr. Rachel: My partner isn't capable of loving me, am I setting myself up for failure? (Relationship Advice)
I am seeing someone who has told me they don't have the capacity or capability to be in love with me. They have never been in love,...

Rachel Vanderbilt
Dec 27, 20234 min read


On the Myth of Love Languages
The love languages theory was proposed by Gary Chapman in his book published in 1992, titled, The Five Love Languages: How to Express...

Rachel Vanderbilt
Sep 26, 20237 min read
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