Relationships and Intimacy
What the topic covers
Relationships and intimacy cover the ways adults form emotional and physical bonds, from casual dating to long-term partnership, marriage and common-law unions. The subject draws on psychology, sociology, family law and public health, and it changes as social norms shift.
Canada offers a distinctive backdrop. Same-sex marriage became legal nationwide in 2005, common-law partners hold recognized status in federal and provincial law, and census data collected by Statistics Canada track marriage, cohabitation and household size over time. Online dating, long-distance partnerships and consensual non-monogamy are all subjects of ongoing academic study.
Why it is discussed
Public interest comes from changing family forms, later marriage on average, rising numbers of people living alone, and growing visibility of partnership structures that differ from the traditional model. Loneliness, communication and consent also appear regularly in public health discussion.
What this section contains
- Explainers on dating culture, attachment theory and communication research
- Background on marriage, common-law status and separation under Canadian law
- Descriptions of monogamy, polyamory and other relationship structures
- Articles on desire, intimacy and sexual function across life stages
Entries are written in neutral, encyclopedic language and stay descriptive.
Articles
- Age Gaps and Initiative in Intimate Relationships
A neutral look at how experience, age gaps and differing desire levels can shape who initiates sex in a partnership.
- A Couple's Year-Long Intimacy Experiment
A married couple's public project on desire gaps and household labour, set within the wider debate on scheduled intimacy.
- What Research Says About Desire and Dating
Findings on desire in long-term couples and on texting and Facebook in dating, drawn from a Canadian psychology researcher.
- Online Dating Through a Blogger's Eyes
A Canadian blogger's reported view of online dating: what grabs attention, what turns people off and how rejection feels.
- Gender Differences in Guilt After Infidelity
A Canadian study of Toronto participants found differing guilt patterns around sexual and emotional infidelity.
- Pillow Talk After Intimacy
A neutral explainer on pillow talk, the relaxed conversation after intimacy, and how it is generally understood.
- Swinging and Polyamory Compared
Swinging and polyamory are both called open relationships, yet they differ in aims, social settings and public image.
- What Happens at a Tantric Couples Workshop
A neutral look at tantric weekend workshops for couples, their usual formats and the mixed views about their long-term value.
- Disability and Dating: Common Assumptions
An explainer on how assumptions about disability shape dating, using cerebral palsy as a worked example.
- Abstinence and Celibacy Explained
How abstinence and celibacy are defined, what motivates them and where they appear in Canadian sex education.
- Why Partners Skip Oral Sex
An explainer on reasons a partner may not engage in oral sex and how mismatched preferences are framed in relationships.
- Swinging and Polyamory in Ottawa and Gatineau
Swinging and polyamory overlap but differ in aim, and Ottawa-Gatineau has hosted both communities.
- Smiles, Pride and Attraction: The UBC Study
A UBC study in Emotion found women rated smiling men lower and men rated happy women higher, reflecting traditional gender norms.
- New Year's Eve Hook-Ups and Lasting Relationships
An explainer on whether a New Year's Eve meeting can become a lasting relationship and how singles commonly meet.
- Desire in Long-Term Relationships
Why desire is often said to fade in long relationships, and how surveys, evolutionary ideas and therapists frame it.
- Great Sex Research: The Kleinplatz Study
Research on optimal sexuality found presence, connection and intimacy mattered more than technique.
- Desire and Routine While Trying to Conceive
How trying for a baby can turn sex into a routine, and what is known about timing and fertility.
- What researchers say about casual sex
A neutral overview of casual sex research: shifting definitions, gender differences, emotional impact and the erotica versus porn debate.
- When a Partner Dislikes Receiving Oral Sex
Sexual preferences vary, and a partner's lack of interest in oral sex can reflect taste, history or comfort rather than any single cause.
- Talking About Sexual Desires in Couples
An explainer on why sexual communication is hard for many couples, with common fears, frequent requests and counselling views.
- Talking About Oral Sex Preferences in a Relationship
How couples discuss mismatched sexual preferences, and why watching adult video together often changes little.
- Phone Sex and Chat Lines as Adult Recreation
A neutral look at recreational phone sex, telephone chat lines and the voice-only format that has outlasted early dating technology.
- Couples Intimacy and the Sex Therapy Homework Model
An overview of homework-style sex therapy and what a Vancouver therapist said brings couples to counselling.
- Monogamy, Fantasy and Unspoken Assumptions
A look at how couples define fidelity, why assumptions differ, and where fantasy about other people fits within monogamy.
- Why Kissing Styles Differ From Person to Person
Kissing is learned, not instinctive, so styles clash often. A neutral look at how people perceive and discuss mismatched kisses.
- Dating Blogs and the Bad-Date Debrief
Dating blogs turned the post-date debrief with friends into public writing on desire, communication and relationships.
- Understanding One-Night Stands
What the term means, where such encounters are said to begin, and what researchers have reported about them.
- Intimacy and Communication in Long Relationships
How openness about intimacy is reported to change over time, and why sponsored survey figures need careful reading.
- Crushes and Emotions Among Swinging Couples
How crushes and emotional reactions are generally understood among couples who practise swinging.
- Meeting a Partner's Needs and Sexual Desire
How relationship researchers describe sexual desire over time and the idea of communal motivation in couples.
- Dating Just Before a Partner Leaves for Months
A look at new romances cut short by travel: early jealousy, exclusivity terms and differing views on contact while apart.
- The Five Love Languages Explained
The love languages model names touch, time, words, service and gifts as ways partners show affection; research support is mixed.
- Thoroughly Modern Marriage in Canada
A CBC documentary surveyed the many forms Canadian marriage takes, a decade after the first same-sex weddings.
- Fantasizing About Someone Else in Bed
How couples view private fantasies about other people during sex, and why views on fidelity differ.
- Body Image and Sexual Satisfaction
Body dissatisfaction can colour sexual enjoyment in long relationships, and views differ on causes and responses.
- Sex and Body Size Differences in Couples
Couples with different body sizes often adapt positions and equipment. A look at common arrangements and the culture around size.
- Open Marriage and Consensual Non-Monogamy
Open marriage explained, with the example of Canadian writers who blog and coach about non-monogamy.
Frequently asked questions
Is common-law partnership recognized in Canada?
Yes. Federal and provincial laws recognize common-law partners for purposes such as taxation and benefits, though the rules and waiting periods differ by jurisdiction.
When did same-sex marriage become legal in Canada?
The Civil Marriage Act took effect in 2005, making Canada one of the first countries to recognize same-sex marriage nationwide.
Updated November 2026. General information only, not medical, legal or professional advice. See the disclaimer and the medical disclaimer.