Comparing your relationship to other couples, real or fictional, is nothing new, but today’s digital world — which broadcasts only the absolute best highlights of our lives — breeds a certain piercing ache. One that makes us feel subpar, even when we’re posting big-grin pictures and gushy updates just like everyone else.
“I think we compare ourselves to other couples because of the inherent vulnerabilities of being in an intimate relationship. We want to ‘succeed’ in love and we are afraid of crashing and burning,” says Dr. Alexandra Solomon, a licensed clinical psychologist and author of “Loving Bravely.” “Social media turns the volume way up on this tendency.”