It's not just a piece of paper

I used to romanticise about marriage; meeting The One when I was young and staying with that person for life.

Intervening years came and went, each doing their own part to whittle away the little faith (fuck, I hate that word) I had in . . .
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The Spark

Recently, during a conversation about relationships, I was asked, "Is it realistic to expect to meet someone you hit it off with right away, someone you can imagine being with, right off the bat, without any doubts?"

The short answer to this is, 'Yes, without any doubt.' The longer answer is more involved, and begins . . .
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Charisma. Conversation. Art.

The Awkwardness of Geek

I've battled with conversation for as long as I remember. From being the geeky, awkward teenager and growing into a long-haired, awkward guy in my early twenties who struggled to converse about anything which wasn't in my immediate sphere of interest or knowledge.

There was an extended period – we're talking . . .
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Forcing the social animal

I wrote a while ago about rapport building (previously.) I still maintain it's a good thing and it's something I focus on frequently.

As my mood's been fluctuating for various reasons the last couple of days, I've been experimenting with forcing myself to be outwardly happy and social in every day situations where, if . . .
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Quick rapport building – is it (bad) manipulation?

A definition of rapport: Rapport is one of the most important features or characteristics of unconscious human interaction. It is commonality of perspective: being "in sync" with, or being "on the same wavelength" as the person with whom you are talking.

I spend quite a bit of time studying social dynamics, human interaction and . . .
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