We all know at least one person who always has a significant other, even immediately after a breakup. Lately I’ve noticed that serial monogamy—leaping from one exclusive relationship to the next—has become a more popular and accepted dating trend among my friends and acquaintances. Why?

According to Psychology Today, serial monogamists usually believe in some kind of ideal love and in the importance of commitment to one partner, but keep a safe distance from the idea that true love should happen only once in a lifetime. Why chain ourselves to one Prince Charming when we can find a new one as … Read More

"Some women are just happier in a relationship."

As my shrink said this, my jaw dropped to the floor. Did she really just say that? The woman who had feminist literature on her bookshelf and never failed to induce a pep rally of self-empowerment at the end of each session?

We were, of course, discussing (OK fine, I was complaining) about my lack of a boyfriend, and inability to get over some of the ones I did have. For me, I surmised from my psychotherapy high horse, the issue was about loneliness and, therefore, about some childhood father complex. … Read More

We've always mused (half) jokingly about one day becoming crazy old cat women. We (half) jokingly fantasize about settling into middle-aged, single life with an army of whiskers that don't judge or dump us. Single Women Are Better Texters

It's comforting.

And then we stumbled upon a clip from Cat Lady, a horrific documentary about (cough, cough, our future, cough) lonely women with cats who swarm their homes like locusts. Seriously. Kitties jumping out of drawers, peaking out of crevices, filling up entire counters in the kitchen—it reminded us of when we had a … Read More

Everyone and their dog has heard of Casual Encounters. It's only been the punch line to, like, a million and one lonely people jokes for, like, a billion years now, but somehow the Times decided to get their investigative hands drrty and explore the "underbelly" of craigslist.Casual Encounters is exactly as it sounds; a place to find a casual encounter. While garnering more traffic than match.com, eharmony and Yahoo! personals, the smutty section of anonymous sex gained some bad publicity as of late due to two murders that happened pretty close to one another. One man … Read More

What should a single person do on the most romantic holiday of the year? Let your voice be heard on "On the Couch with Catie Lazarus!"

I was just minding my own business today, checking my Facebook page and BOOM! There it was. This banner for an internet dating site.

"Don't be lonely for another 5 minutes!" It said, "Sign up now and meet great singles like yourself."

Umm, yes I get that these social networking sites are using your relationship status and running with it, advertising-wise, but isn't lonely a bit harsh?

They're doing the same thing on gMail, apparently - actually detecting clues about you from your emails and using ads that relate. It's clever, albeit a little creepy.

The thing is, a lot … Read More

I was on the phone with my friend Beth, a 31-year-old international sales exec at a major Hollywood film studio.

"I can't believe a four-year relationship could end with us living on two separate coasts," she said, "But he was traveling so much and I finally just told him, 'This is not what I signed up for when I got involved with you.' So, we're officially separated."

She sighed. I sighed.

"Anyway enough about me, what about you, Italian girl? I thought they worshiped American women in the land of pasta … Read More

Talking to your cats or treating your dog like a child isn't crazy after all. In fact, it's rather good for you.

The results from a University of Chicago study reveal that in the absence of human connection, we anthropomorphize, or cast human-like characteristics onto pets, a supernatural or god figure or, less frequently, gadgets. The motivation comes from self-preservation not delusion.

"It's actually a greater risk for morbidity or mortality than cigarette smoking is. Being lonely is a bad thing for you," one U of C professor involved with the study told ScienceDaily.

Researchers referred to the Tom Hanks' film Castaway as … Read More

So what if I had no sense of self? I anchored myself to my husband, a man headed to medical school, whose determination to help others, no matter the sacrifice, shed a charitable light on me.

When my internist asked if I knew that marrying a doctor-in-training was a recipe for disaster, I laughed. What did he know of the power of young love? What he might have asked in return was: what did I know of my husband?

And what, at 22, did I know of myself? The determination I loved in my … Read More