relationships

Jealousy is the acute discomfort when a valued relationship faces a perceived threat from a real or imagined rival, distinct from envy (the desire to have what another possesses). Evolutionary psychology frames romantic jealousy as a mate-guarding adaptation, though the sex-differences debate remains contested. Attachment styles—secure, anxious, avoidant—shape jealousy intensity. Self-esteem and rumination amplify it. Jealousy ranges from a normal protective signal to pathological controlling behavior, and understanding its origins helps distinguish regulation from suppression.

The psychology of attraction explained: proximity, similarity, the mere-exposure effect, physical symmetry, Helen Fisher's three stages of love, and the science of adult attachment styles.

The Maldives has the world's highest divorce rate. Russia, Belarus, and Latvia follow. The United States, often cited as unusually divorce-prone, has been declining since its 1980s peak and now sits below several European nations. Divorce rates track female economic independence, secularisation, and legal access more reliably than they track marital unhappiness.