If love is a circus, then weird couple habits are the main act.

As your friendly neighborhood couples therapist, I’ve cataloged a second set of quirks—proof that love is as much about playful absurdity as it is about intimacy.

And yes, science backs these up, so let’s celebrate the delightful oddities.

As a couples therapist, I’ve witnessed the bizarre mating rituals of humanity up close and personal. If aliens ever wanted to study our species, I’d tell them to skip Area 51 and come to my office instead.

Because here’s the thing: love is weird. Delightfully, hilariously, heartwarmingly weird.

Every couple has quirks—some adorable, some… well, let’s just call them “special.”

But what’s fascinating is how these quirks are not random acts of oddity; they’re rooted in psychology, biology, and the strange beauty of love. Let me introduce you to some couples whose eccentricities are as endearing as they are research-backed.

Narcissism—a word that’s become synonymous with self-centeredness and entitlement in today’s world. But in psychology, narcissism represents a specific set of personality traits that researchers study to understand individual behavior and social dynamics.

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) has been one of the most widely used tools for assessing these traits in a non-clinical setting. And now, the NPI-13 provides a faster yet reliable way to evaluate narcissism.

There’s a new twist on why students (and professors!) are collapsing under the weight of academic burnout. A recent study published in Acta Psychologica has revealed an intriguing—if slightly chilling—insight: personality traits from the infamous “dark triad” (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) might be setting up certain students for a crash course in exhaustion, thanks to their intense focus on appearing flawless. Let’s unpack this twisted love triangle of burnout, manipulation, and academic life.

Gestalt Couples Therapy offers a refreshing approach for couples who want to build stronger, more authentic connections.

Developed from the pioneering work of Fritz Perls and further shaped by contemporary thought leaders, Gestalt therapy emphasizes the power of being present in the here-and-now and focuses on each person’s immediate thoughts, feelings, and reactions.

This model encourages each partner to understand and accept responsibility for their individual experience within the relationship, making it especially effective for couples who want a deeper, more genuine connection.

What is Gestalt Couples Therapy?

Part of human experience is investing our time, energy, and love into building a meaningful connection with our partner.

This investment is part of what makes long-term relationships so precious, but it can also create a trap known as the "Sunk Cost Fallacy."

This psychological concept explains why people sometimes stick with decisions, behaviors, or relationships simply because they’ve already put so much effort into them — even if they’re no longer beneficial.

In couples therapy, exploring the Sunk Cost Fallacy can help partners see when past investments might be preventing them from making positive changes.

In some neurodiverse relationships, building emotional intimacy can sometimes feel like climbing a mountain. We want to be close to our partner, sharing dreams, fears, and everything in between.

But expecting deep emotional closeness all at once can feel overwhelming, especially if one or both partners aren’t used to regularly opening up on that level.

Here’s where psychology’s “Foot-in-the-Door Technique” can help couples ease into a deeper connection without pressure.

The Foot-in-the-Door Technique, originally described in social psychology, suggests that people are more likely to agree to larger requests if they’ve first agreed to smaller ones.

This principle can be a helpful approach in relationships, too, where it can create a gradual path toward greater intimacy. Here’s how it works in couples therapy, along with some tips for using this technique to grow closer in a supportive, low-pressure way.

In relationships, even the most loving intentions can sometimes lead to surprising results.

One partner may try to “fix” a problem or help their spouse in a way that feels supportive, only to see the effort create new challenges. This phenomenon is sometimes called the "Cobra Effect," named after an unintended consequence that famously occurred in colonial India.

It’s a reminder that sometimes, when we try to resolve one issue, we accidentally make things worse.

In couples therapy, the "Cobra Effect" becomes a helpful concept to discuss because it can open up conversations about how intentions, actions, and outcomes may not always align in the ways we expect.

By exploring this effect, couples can discover how to channel their good intentions into actions that truly support their relationship. Let’s take a closer look at how this happens and what couples can do to avoid some common relationship “cobra traps.”

Aging gracefully has become a more nuanced concept with the work of pioneering geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Gene Cohen. Known for his research on creativity, wisdom, and growth throughout the aging process,

Dr. Cohen offered groundbreaking insights into how our cognitive abilities evolve as we age. His work emphasizes that aging isn't merely a process of physical decline; rather, it can be a time of profound wisdom growth, creativity, and personal expansion.

As discussions around fault-based divorce re-emerge in American politics, couples therapists are increasingly confronted with questions about how this shift could affect the therapeutic landscape.

For decades, no-fault divorce has enabled unhappy spouses to end dead marriages without needing to establish fault, promoting less adversarial separations.

However, if certain conservative-led efforts to repeal no-fault divorce succeed, the change could redefine marriage’s social contract, placing greater emphasis on permanence and responsibility—and creating new challenges for therapists aiming to support healthy relationships and personal well-being.

Why is Fault-Based Divorce back in the conversation?

When you think of “imagination,” you might picture dreaming up castles in the sky or envisioning your ideal vacation.

But there’s another kind of imagination that’s especially useful in relationships, and that’s prospective imagination. This type of imagination—the ability to envision a shared future or imagine different scenarios—can be a game-changer in couples therapy.

With prospective imagination, couples can navigate the complexities of their relationships and cultivate a deeper, more resilient connection.

So, how does it work?

And why does imagining future scenarios help couples create a better present? Let’s dive into how prospective imagination can strengthen relationships.

What is Prospective Imagination?

In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women. Tony Montana

…and then you get the couples therapy. Daniel Dashnaw.

So, they sit down on the couch in my office—the Trump Bro and his girlfriend. He’s decked out in red, white, and blue, like a Fourth of July lawn ornament, complete with the cap, proudly proclaiming his loyalty. I can tell right off this isn’t the usual couples therapy.

His girlfriend, meanwhile, looks like she’s been dragged here against her will, clutching her phone like it’s a lifeline to the outside world. She seems both amused and exhausted.

“Daniel,” she says, cutting straight to the chase, “I just don’t know how much more I can take.” She glances over at him, and he flashes her a look of endearing obliviousness.

“What seems to be the problem?” I ask, pen ready, my best therapeutic voice on.