Selected Writings
Teens are terrible at breaking up
How parents can help.
The Washington Post. Published: April 15, 2021
What Elle Magazine Got Wrong about Romantic Obsession
How the viral article “The Journalist and the Pharma Bro” misses the mark.
Psychology Today. Published: December 2020
Encountering a student, and the limits of online learning, on an empty campus.
Pendemic. Published: April 2020
Bonding with My “In-Law” Over Bikini Wax
When my 13-year-old daughter fell for a neighbor boy, I knew I had to find a way to get to know
his mother. What I discovered: Young love is a dual-generation rite of passage.
Longreads. Published: July 2019
From ghosting to orbiting and submarining, technology keeps elaborating new ways for people to
avoid the emotional labor of breakups. But that only keeps them stuck in anxiety and self-doubt.
Psychology Today. Published: May 2019
The Truth About Borderline Personality Disorder in Relationships
Borderline personality disorder embodies a most poignant paradox: Sufferers yearn for closeness,
but their attempts to fill the emptiness inside drive away those most dear. The stability of a
partner can break the self-destructive loop they are caught in.
Psychology Today. Published: November 2018
The Radical Thrill of Intimacy
Intimacy always involves risk. But whether for friendship or for love, it's a risk most people are
willing to take—even to search out—because connection is our surest path to transcendence.
Psychology Today cover story. Published: January 2017.
Eccentric’s Corner with Rachel Bloom
Rachel Bloom turned her struggles with depression, anxiety, and romantic obsession—not to
mention her love of musical theater—into one of the most unlikely television successes of recent
years.
Psychology Today. Published: September 2016.
I’ve Been a “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”
The CW series is more than just a quirky hit sitcom — it offers rich, nuanced insights into the
realities of obsessive love.
Dame magazine. Published: April 13, 2016.
When Rejection is the Kindest Thing a Person Can Do
Rejection is mercy. Once it’s done, you can move on.
The Washington Post. Published: February 16, 2016.
How to End a Romantic Obsession
It's time to reclaim your sanity.
Elle Australia. Published: May 25, 2015
Why We're So Hung Up About Facebook Stalking
And is it really stalking at all?
Psychologytoday.com, Published: July 1, 2015
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Getting dumped is shattering, but certain people suffer the effects of romantic rejection far more
than do others. What makes getting the boot from a relationship extra hard for some? And what
can help ease the pain?
Psychology Today.Published: May 4, 2015.
How unrequited love can make us more creative
Unrequited love can be incredibly painful, especially around Valentine’s Day. But Smith and others
remind us that it can also be an inspiring creative force — perhaps the most powerful muse there
is.
The Washington Post. Published: February 12, 2015
The 50 Greatest Unrequited Love Stories Ever
The quest for love makes a great story. In fiction as in the real world, though, happy endings don't
always happen. Here, as a counterweight to the smug rituals of Valentine’s Day, are the 50
greatest stories of unrequited love.
The Weeklings. Published: February 11, 2015
We never escape teenage crushes: The Beatles, One Direction and what our early obsessions teach
The yearning is real -- but our first celebrity crushes teach key lessons about sexual attraction and
heartache
Salon. Published: February 7, 2015
"The Time I Turned Into a Stalker"
Cosmopolitan. Published: February 2015
The lovesick who cannot eat or sleep are legion. Many go so far as to harass and stalk the lover
who spurned them. And more often than one might realize, the stalkers are women.
Psychology Today. Published: January 6, 2015
“Maleficent,” “Frozen,” and the Pain of Love
Psychology Today. Published: June 22, 2014
Stalking Is Not Strength (Even When a Woman Does It)
Psychology Today. Published: June 16, 2014
The New York Times. Published: January 7, 2011
MODERN LOVE:I Couldn’t Let Go of Him. Did It Make Me a Stalker?
