Illustrated by Isabelle Rancier.If you're like us, you're constantly asking friends and family for guidance. And, as a result, your brain is full of things you've come to accept as truth, like "good things come to those who wait" or "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." But, when it comes to L.O.V.E., it turns out that many of those age-old adages make for some pretty questionable advice. Writer Anna Pulley argues that, when it comes to relationships, we really shouldn't be operating under blanket statements.
Take, for example, the notion that love happens when you stop looking for it. Pulley points out that this perpetuates an antisocial attitude in which you're not going on dates, and waiting around for The One to kind of just fall into your lap. No bueno. And, how about "once a cheater, always a cheater?" Pulley says it's easy to dismiss an adulterer as bad, but you shouldn't apply it to every person who has an unfaithful blot on an otherwise pristine record. Plus, suggesting that you withhold sex to punish your partner is a terrible idea, because really you're just punishing yourself.