This page brings together AffectionPlus’s documentary monitoring on “Relationships”: scientific studies and academic publications first, followed by recent news items and posts spotted on social media.
To read our full guides, practical dossiers and detailed answers on this topic, visit the The couple section or return to the Stay up to date overview.
Scientific studies, clinical trials and systematic reviews published in international literature on this topic.
— Published on 28 October 2026 in the European Journal of Population, a longitudinal study in the Netherlands following first-time parents shows that an unplanned pregnancy is associated with a 19% higher risk of parental separation before the child turns five, even after accounting for age, income and marital status.
— A Brigham Young University study of 1,693 young married American couples associates exercise done together, and also alone, with better communication and less conflict. The data, collected at a single point in time, do not show that exercise is the cause.
— A study in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, published online on 14 November 2025, looks at young adults who have been in a long-distance relationship for at least six months. Behaviours that maintain the relationship, especially openness and a positive attitude, are linked to greater mutual trust, itself linked to better relationship quality. These are statistical links, not proof of an effect.
Recent news, legal developments and institutional announcements on this topic, summarised with their date and source.
— An Ifop survey for Passage du Désir (1,947 French women, August 2026, published 16 October) shows that 26% of women in a couple have no sex or no longer do, yet 63% of them say they are satisfied with their romantic life. They cite a drop in their own desire first, rather than lack of time. The survey is self-reported, limited to women and commissioned by a retailer of intimate accessories.
— The Constitutional Court struck down an exclusion affecting certain marriages out of community of property without accrual. The ruling takes immediate effect within the redistribution framework, without reopening finalised divorces or creating an automatic equal split.
— Statistics South Africa published an analysis of age at first marriage using the 1996–2022 censuses. Its indirect demographic measure describes longer-term patterns; it is not an average calculated from marriages taking place in 2026.
— Ruling at first instance, the Paris judicial court held on 6 May 2026 that the division of property between unmarried, unregistered partners is governed by the law the partners chose. Without an explicit choice, that choice is presumed to be the law of the country of their first shared home.
— Statistics South Africa released its 2024 marriages and divorces report. The publication draws on administrative records, whose coverage and time period matter: annual divorce and marriage totals cannot be converted into an individual couple’s probability of divorce.
— A full bench of the Gauteng High Court confirmed a route to civil divorce protections and reconsideration of interim support following talaq. The judgment applies the legislation’s temporal limits; it does not bring every historical dissolution within the same rules.
— According to Eurostat, the average pension of women aged 65 and over was 24.5% lower than that of men in the European Union in 2024 (24.9% for the median pension). The gap ranges from 5.6% in Estonia to 40.3% in Malta. The amounts are gross and include survivors' pensions.
— Parliament’s Home Affairs Committee completed nationwide public hearings. The Bill remains a legislative proposal in the sources reviewed; ending consultation does not itself change marriage ages or replace the existing Acts.
Posts and videos from institutions, media, specialists and AffectionPlus spotted right now on social media.
— Psychology Today shares a therapist's take on boundaries in the therapy relationship. It looks at why therapists tend to say little about themselves and how to think about personal questions in sessions.
Facebook · Psychology Today
— Psychology Today looks at how empathetic, giving people can fall into partnerships where they play the rescuer. It suggests that understanding the childhood patterns behind this may help build healthier relationships.
Facebook · Psychology Today
— A psychologist invites couples to reflect on moments when a partner's behaviour feels annoying, hurtful or confusing because it seems obvious they should act differently. The post is aimed at intercultural and multicultural relationships and encourages people to share their experiences.
TikTok · @drsarahquinley
— A psychologist who moved abroad for love describes a pattern she sees in intercultural couples she works with: the challenges of relocating and living between cultures are hard to talk about openly. The video encourages couples to name these difficulties early.
TikTok · @drsarahquinley
— A licensed mental health counselor debunks the idea that healthy communication should come naturally. The post explains that conflict handling and repairing after disconnection are skills most people were never taught.
LinkedIn · Kerry Lusignan, MFA, MA, LMHC
— A podcast episode in which researchers from the Gottman Institute share their key findings and advice on building lasting relationships. It draws on decades of work studying couples.
YouTube · Mel Robbins and The Gottman Institute
— The Gottman Institute points out that social media advice often reduces complex relationships to rigid rules and slogans. The post encourages a more nuanced view of what is helpful and what can be misleading.
Instagram · @gottmaninstitute
— Cleveland Clinic defines social media addiction as a persistent, uncontrollable urge to log on despite clear harm to daily functioning. Clinicians warn that compulsive scrolling erodes intimate relationships, mental health, and work or academic performance.
X · @ClevelandClinic
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Text written with the help of AI, under the editorial responsibility of CAPIT. Human reviews are occasional (method: About). Spotted an error? Write to us.
