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Holiday budgeting tips for over-60s: Expert advice for a stress-free season

<div> <p>The festive season is a time for joy, but it can sometimes also bring a little extra financial stress. With the rising cost of essentials, many Aussies in retirement might be feeling the pinch. And it’s not your imagination – recent <a title="https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/___https:/nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.superannuation.asn.au%2Fmedia-release%2Frising-insurance-premiums-add-strain-to-retirees-finances-says-super-peak-body%2F*23%3A~%3Atext%3DThe%2520latest%2520figures%2520from%2520ASFA%2Cover%2520the%2520last%252012%2520months.&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cdardisa%40we-worldwide.com%7C3306a1dfb9de4e30dd3b08dcfecff5e5%7C3ed60ab455674971a5341a5f0f7cc7f5%7C0%7C0%7C638665416381860501%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=3ePPI8b1SEXOATgcY6vYWJRi8gBzZHv0jM1dgqkIoUI%3D&amp;reserved=0___.YzJ1OndlY29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbnM6YzpvOmMyMDk4YTI2ZGE5OWUzY2FhZWQ2Nzc5ZTg1YWM0OGJiOjY6YjM1NDo4YTdiNGQ5MTcwZjBhYzgwNzI4ZDVmYTlhNTA0OWVhYThkZTU0NWJhN2FhZDgzZGQ2MGQ1ZjZiYWU5MTc3MGI1OnA6VDpG" href="https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/___https:/nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.superannuation.asn.au%2Fmedia-release%2Frising-insurance-premiums-add-strain-to-retirees-finances-says-super-peak-body%2F*23%3A~%3Atext%3DThe%2520latest%2520figures%2520from%2520ASFA%2Cover%2520the%2520last%252012%2520months.&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cdardisa%40we-worldwide.com%7C3306a1dfb9de4e30dd3b08dcfecff5e5%7C3ed60ab455674971a5341a5f0f7cc7f5%7C0%7C0%7C638665416381860501%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=3ePPI8b1SEXOATgcY6vYWJRi8gBzZHv0jM1dgqkIoUI%3D&amp;reserved=0___.YzJ1OndlY29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbnM6YzpvOmMyMDk4YTI2ZGE5OWUzY2FhZWQ2Nzc5ZTg1YWM0OGJiOjY6YjM1NDo4YTdiNGQ5MTcwZjBhYzgwNzI4ZDVmYTlhNTA0OWVhYThkZTU0NWJhN2FhZDgzZGQ2MGQ1ZjZiYWU5MTc3MGI1OnA6VDpG" data-auth="Verified" data-outlook-id="1a0a0a08-2e36-4601-a0a3-f9c8bb379afe">data</a> from the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) reveals that the cost of maintaining a comfortable retirement has increased by 3.7% in the last year. For those in retirement, managing holiday spending can help ensure a stress-free festive season. </p> </div> <div> <p>Toby Perkins, a Certified Financial Planner® at industry superfund NGS Super, shares his helpful tips to ensure retirees manage their budgets during the holidays.</p> </div> <p><strong>1. Avoid personal debt</strong></p> <div> <p>Credit cards and overdrafts may seem like quick solutions, but they often lead to high-interest debt. "If you need extra funds for the festive season, it might be worth considering options like your superannuation income stream instead," advises Toby. Avoiding extra debt may help you to maintain your financial stability in the long run and help set you up for a stress-free Christmas next year. </p> </div> <p><strong>2. Plan ahead: Budget for the entire year</strong></p> <div> <p>Although it may be too late to adjust your budget for this holiday season, now is a good time to start planning for next Christmas. "Incorporating holiday spending into an annual budget can prevent financial strain in December," Toby suggests. By tracking your expenses throughout the year, you can identify potential savings and plan for any extra costs, such as gifts and travel.</p> </div> <p><strong>3. Review government entitlements</strong></p> <div> <p>It’s important for you to ensure you are receiving the correct government entitlements. "If you’re receiving the Age Pension, make sure all your details are up to date," Toby advises. Even if you're not eligible for the Age Pension, you may qualify for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card or state-based Seniors Cards, which can help reduce costs on health care, transport, and other services. For more information, visit <a title="https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/___https:/www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/most-useful-information-for-retirement-years___.YzJ1OndlY29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbnM6YzpvOmMyMDk4YTI2ZGE5OWUzY2FhZWQ2Nzc5ZTg1YWM0OGJiOjY6Y2YwMTo3YWJkZWYyYTY5NjAwZTQ5YjczNWQwMGY2ZjZmN2RhNzY5MzJjYWJkMmYyNWM5ZTkzODg4NTJlZDc3MmIwZGI1OnA6VDpG" href="https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/___https:/www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/most-useful-information-for-retirement-years___.YzJ1OndlY29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbnM6YzpvOmMyMDk4YTI2ZGE5OWUzY2FhZWQ2Nzc5ZTg1YWM0OGJiOjY6Y2YwMTo3YWJkZWYyYTY5NjAwZTQ5YjczNWQwMGY2ZjZmN2RhNzY5MzJjYWJkMmYyNWM5ZTkzODg4NTJlZDc3MmIwZGI1OnA6VDpG" data-auth="Verified" data-outlook-id="0b03c4dc-e32a-4f0f-adaf-6d20058cd703">the Services Australia website.</a></p> </div> <p><strong>4. Stay vigilant about financial security</strong></p> <div> <p>There are two reasons to closely track your spending throughout the holiday season: 1. To ensure you stay within budget, and 2. To ensure you don't fall victim to financial scams. The holiday season can be a prime time for financial scams, so be cautious when making purchases online.</p> </div> <p><strong>5. Prepare for post-holiday financial health</strong></p> <div> <p>After the holidays, plan to set aside some money for future expenses or to replenish your savings. A bit of post-holiday planning will help you avoid financial stress in the months ahead - and even get you set up for next Christmas.</p> </div> <p><strong>6. Travel smart: Plan off-peak</strong></p> <div> <p>Travel can be one of the biggest holiday expenses, especially if it coincides with peak Christmas and school holiday periods. Toby recommends traveling outside of these busy times to save money. "Off-peak travel can significantly reduce costs and make your holiday dollar stretch further," he says. Consider planning trips in advance to secure better deals.</p> </div> <div> <p>Planning ahead, managing debt, and reviewing entitlements can help you enjoy the festive season without financial stress. As Toby puts it, "Smart budgeting today helps ensure a more comfortable retirement tomorrow."</p> </div> <div> <p><em><strong>For those seeking personalised advice, NGS Super’s team of financial planners is here to help guide you to a secure and joyful future. Read the <a title="https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r01/___https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/___https:/www.ngssuper.com.au/files/documents/financial-services-guide.pdf___.YzJ1OndlY29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbnM6YzpvOmMyMDk4YTI2ZGE5OWUzY2FhZWQ2Nzc5ZTg1YWM0OGJiOjY6MDk5ZToxNWJlNDQ0ODUwMWZmYzczYmUzZDY5N2NkNWFmY2M4ZTM0M2I5ZDQyNTI5ZGIwNjdjMDUxZDViY2E1YWRmYWFhOnA6VDpGHYPERLINK___.YzJ1OndlY29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbnM6YzpvOmM0OTdjMzdkZjcxOGIxNDQxYjdiMzQxMzA0NTcyMzc4Ojc6ZDgzMDowMTA3N2IxNTZmN2JhZDAzOTM5MDc4ODZjM2Y4NTUzYTkwNWE4ZDAxYmJhMmIxMTc0OWZjNjhmNmM5ODNlNzYyOmg6VDpG" href="https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r01/___https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/___https:/www.ngssuper.com.au/files/documents/financial-services-guide.pdf___.YzJ1OndlY29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbnM6YzpvOmMyMDk4YTI2ZGE5OWUzY2FhZWQ2Nzc5ZTg1YWM0OGJiOjY6MDk5ZToxNWJlNDQ0ODUwMWZmYzczYmUzZDY5N2NkNWFmY2M4ZTM0M2I5ZDQyNTI5ZGIwNjdjMDUxZDViY2E1YWRmYWFhOnA6VDpGHYPERLINK___.YzJ1OndlY29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbnM6YzpvOmM0OTdjMzdkZjcxOGIxNDQxYjdiMzQxMzA0NTcyMzc4Ojc6ZDgzMDowMTA3N2IxNTZmN2JhZDAzOTM5MDc4ODZjM2Y4NTUzYTkwNWE4ZDAxYmJhMmIxMTc0OWZjNjhmNmM5ODNlNzYyOmg6VDpG" data-auth="Verified" data-outlook-id="c4bb4623-ec0a-4e3a-a747-7bf0d2f5659b">NGS Financial Planning Financial Services Guide</a>.</strong></em></p> </div> <div> <p><em><strong>For further information, visit NGS Super’s <a title="https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/___https:/www.ngssuper.com.au/articles/news/whats-foro-what-can-you-do-about-it___.YzJ1OndlY29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbnM6YzpvOmMyMDk4YTI2ZGE5OWUzY2FhZWQ2Nzc5ZTg1YWM0OGJiOjY6YzlhNDphZGM4Y2Q1YTFlZmQyNjExMGQ4ZDJmYWM3Y2IyOWMxM2FiNjE2MDMwMDc3YjA5ODE5OTY0NjQyYmZkNWE2NGM1OnA6VDpG" href="https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/___https:/www.ngssuper.com.au/articles/news/whats-foro-what-can-you-do-about-it___.YzJ1OndlY29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbnM6YzpvOmMyMDk4YTI2ZGE5OWUzY2FhZWQ2Nzc5ZTg1YWM0OGJiOjY6YzlhNDphZGM4Y2Q1YTFlZmQyNjExMGQ4ZDJmYWM3Y2IyOWMxM2FiNjE2MDMwMDc3YjA5ODE5OTY0NjQyYmZkNWE2NGM1OnA6VDpG" data-auth="Verified" data-outlook-id="7c65864b-3f33-43bc-9037-cc1e7ca1acc0">website</a>.</strong></em></p> </div> <div> <p><em><strong>Toby Perkins is authorised to provide financial advice in Australia and is an Authorised Representative (Number 1002908) of Guideway Financial Services Pty Ltd, AFSL Number 420367. Any advice given in this article is general and does not consider your financial situation, needs or objectives so consider whether it is appropriate for you. Be sure to read the relevant PDS and TMD </strong><strong>before deciding whether a financial product is right for you.</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Image credits: Shutterstock  </strong></em></p> </div>

Travel Tips

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Grandma shares blunt advice for gift-giving season

<p>A grandmother has shared valuable advice for other grandparents who are prone to going over the top for birthday and Christmas presents. </p> <p>DeeDee Moore, who runs the TikTok account @morethangrand, reignited the debate on finding the line between spoiling your grandkids with an abundance of gifts, and not going over the top. </p> <p>With Christmas right around the corner, DeeDee shared some advice for grandparents before they hit the shops.</p> <p>"Too much stuff from grandparents is at the top of the list of topics that parents struggle with," Moore explained in a viral clip.</p> <p>A recent survey from <a href="https://www.morethangrand.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More Than Grand</a> found 75 percent of the parents surveyed, wished grandparents respected their wishes about gifts, for a few reasons, but the most common was the sheer volume of stuff.</p> <p>"Parents often don't have the physical space to accommodate the toys indulgent grandparents buy," she continued.</p> <p>However, the issue is that one grandparent probably isn't the only one going all out on gifts. </p> <p>"Say your grandson has four other grandparents and four aunts and uncles. Each of these people get him one gift for a second birthday. That's already nine gifts plus something for mum and dad. We're up to 10," she explained. </p> <p>"But if all of those grandparents buy him three things, and two of the aunts get him a little extra something, that's 22 presents for a two-year-old who would be just as happy with a box." </p> <p>Moore also pointed out while many kids are fortunate enough to be spoilt at Christmas, there are many children who are living in hardship and don't have the same luxuries. </p> <p>Her advice is to take some of the things you would have given to your grandchildren and donate them to a charity or organisation who works with less fortunate families.</p> <p>Dozens of mothers chimed in the comment section of the video, praising DeeDee's advice and sharing their own stress about presents. </p> <p>"I used to have so much anxiety about Christmas because my in-laws used to buy more than Santa, us and my parents combined. It was stressful," commented one mum. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Readers response: What’s the best advice you’ve received on staying healthy as you age?

<p>We asked our readers what the best advice they’ve received on staying healthy as you age is, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said. </p> <p><strong>Fred Pilcher </strong>- Don't smoke. That's the most important advice you're likely to get. If you do smoke, quit now. Today. I've lost parents and friends to lung cancer and emphysema - both terrible ways to go. (I say this as a former two pack a day addict.)</p> <p><strong>Kate Caddey</strong> - Stay as fit as you can. Walk, do the stretch, balance and dance offerings. Travel the slightly harder way with ups and downs included. Stay curious about people you meet and about everything in general. Never stop learning.</p> <p><strong>Marie Jones</strong> - Keep laughing.</p> <p><strong>Gloria Hickey</strong> - Keep active, but wish I had been told to have my B12 added to yearly blood work too. </p> <p><strong>Peter Connolly</strong> - Best advice I got was "Whatever you do, go out with a bang. There is absolutely no point in lying in bed in a hospital, dying of nothing!"</p> <p><strong>Terry Dolman</strong> - Enjoy being happy. It takes more energy to be grumpy than smile. Plus, a good Friend in Vietnam now said "don't carry the past plus a drink of whisky a day." </p> <p><strong>Heather Dixon</strong> - Keep busy.</p> <p><strong>Lydia Poli </strong>- Enjoy the ride while you can!</p> <p><strong>Marlene Cochrane</strong> - Don't stop moving. Both physically and mentally.</p> <p><strong>Karen Ambrose</strong> - Keep dancing!</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Body

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Readers response: What advice would you give someone visiting Australia?

<p>We asked our readers what advice they would give to someone travelling to Australia, including where tourists need to see and what hidden gems cannot be missed. Here's what they said. </p> <p><strong>Peggy Rice</strong> - Respect our rules, the outback needs to be researched, swim between flags, don't swim with crocodiles. It's the best country in the world, let's keep it that way. Also do yourself a favour and put Tasmania on your list of beauty.</p> <p><strong>Kay L Bayly</strong> - Number 1 advice! Check distances between desired destinations. It is a much bigger country than most people understand.</p> <p><strong>Michael Pender</strong> - Bring a sense of humour.</p> <p><strong>Toni Stewart</strong> - You will need a year at least to see all the different areas from desert, scrub, rainforest, cities, beaches, country side fabulous little towns and lots of festivals.</p> <p><strong>Maureen Prince</strong> - We don’t have Kangaroos running the streets. Koalas are not in everybody's back yard trees. Whilst we do have snakes you’d be very unfortunate if you were to come across a venomous one. We don’t all go around saying “Good day mate”. Our scenery is incredible. Our food is superb and, best of all, we have good friends who do say “Good day mate”.</p> <p><strong>Tina Shaw</strong> - Leave preconceptions at customs. See who we are and you'll have a fantastic time.</p> <p><strong>Dianne Savage</strong> - Put Tasmania on your must do list.</p> <p><strong>Margaret Higgs</strong> - Use sunscreen, wear a hat, drink lots of fluids.</p> <p><strong>Cheryl Anne</strong> - Don't assume you can cover the whole country in 6 weeks.</p> <p><strong>Sarah Hayse-Gregson</strong> - Obey the beach culture. The flags, lifesavers are there for a reason. If a sign says, “beach closed” there’s no one to assist you if you get into difficulty. Our lifesavers are volunteers, don’t forget that. They give up their free time to monitor the beaches and are highly trained. Never turn your back to the sea.</p> <p><strong>Ann Lusby</strong> - Watch out for drop bears.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Readers response: What’s the best travel advice you’ve ever received?

<p>When planning a holiday, it's not unlikely to receive travel advice from others who have explored the world. </p> <p>We asked our readers to share the best travel advice they have ever received, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said.</p> <p><strong>Liz Mendygral</strong> - You must have travel insurance.</p> <p><strong>Nancy Rogers</strong> - Travel light and clever.</p> <p><strong>Anne Denise Houghton</strong> - If you are in a different country and see something you would really like to do, do it then as tomorrow you may miss the opportunity!</p> <p><strong>Deedee Cullum</strong> - Get off the beaten tourist track and meet the real people.</p> <p><strong>Karen Ambrose</strong> - When crossing the road in busy Vietnam cities, keep walking and the traffic will go around you. DON'T STOP!</p> <p><strong>Fran Cresswell</strong> - Pack what you think you will need then take out half of it!!</p> <p><strong>Bill King</strong> - Respect the customs of the country you are visiting.</p> <p><strong>Lorraine Kirkwood</strong> - Pack a spare set of clothes and Pjs in your cabin luggage. When your suitcases get lost you are ok.</p> <p><strong>Chris Walker</strong> - Go while you can.</p> <p><strong>Terry Dolman </strong>- Book your flight way ahead. Saves mega $$.</p> <p><strong>Denise Sutherland</strong> - Where your passport is concerned NEVER BEHAVE BADLY, save that for your backyard.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Tips

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Readers response: What’s your best advice for managing medications while travelling?

<p>When taking a trip, many people often have to factor in how their changing schedule will affect their regular medication routines. </p> <p>We asked our readers for their best advice on managing medications while travelling, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said. </p> <p><strong>Kristeen Bon</strong> - I put each days tablet into small ziplock bags and staple them at one corner. All that goes into one larger ziplock bag and into my toilet bag. I store all the outer packs flat into another ziplock bag and that stays in the zip pack with my first aid kit in the main suitcase. I travel long haul up to six times a year and this is the most manageable way I have found.</p> <p><strong>Diane Green</strong> - Firstly, take sufficient  supply of all meds to last the time I'm away. I separate morning medications and evening medications. Then it depends on how long I'm away. I have one that needs to be refrigerated. Depending on where I travel, this can entail arranging overnight in the establishment fridge while taking a freezer pack for daytime travel.</p> <p><strong>Irene Varis</strong> - Always get a letter from my doctor, with all my prescriptions for when I get overseas. Saves you a lot of trouble!</p> <p><strong>Helen Lunn</strong> - Just get the chemist to pack into Medipacks. I usually take an extra week. I alway put some of the packs in my partners baggage incase my bag goes missing and a pack and a doctor’s letter in my hand luggage.</p> <p><strong>Jancye Winter</strong> - Always pack in your carry on with prescriptions.</p> <p><strong>Jenny Gordon</strong> - Carry a letter from doc with all medications, leave in original packaging. Double check that it isn’t illegal to carry your medication as some countries have strict regulations for things like Codeine. Always carry in carry on as you don’t want them to get lost.</p> <p><strong>Nina Thomas Rogers</strong> - Be organised with all your medicines before you leave.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Travel Tips

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Readers response: What advice would you give to seniors looking to start a new relationship?

<p>When entering the dating world, there are always nerves, expectations and excitement at any age.</p> <p>But when it comes to dating and starting new relationships in your senior years, priorities can be skewed, and meeting someone can be nerve-wracking. </p> <p>We asked our readers what advice they would you give to seniors looking to start a new relationship, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said. </p> <p><strong>Judy Chappell</strong> - Don’t! Nothing better than independence &amp; freedom late in life after 63 years married. I have my kids, grandkids, great grandies &amp; great friends that’s enough for me. Don’t need another male around.</p> <p><strong>Jan Heggie</strong> - If it feels right, do it. If it doesn’t feel right after a while, leave. Life is too short to not enjoy it.</p> <p><strong>Karen Simpson Nikakis</strong> - Put legals in place to protect your assets, do not cohabit or marry, and split all bills. </p> <p><strong>Lois Hone </strong>- Be true to yourself. Choose someone who completes you, the one person you feel you can’t live without. The one person, who makes you smile, laugh and is still there when you are sad and hurt and wants to support you. Oh and if they like to cook and clean as well, go for it!</p> <p><strong>Julie Fause</strong>r - Live each in your own home.</p> <p><strong>Marilyn Langelaar </strong>- Do not compare to previous partner.</p> <p><strong>Janet Olsson</strong> - Be careful. Don't rush into anything.</p> <p><strong>Lynn Dilley</strong> - Just go for it if you are happy and feel safe, but keep your money and documents to yourself.</p> <p><strong>Merle Finlayson</strong> - Go for it! It’s never too late.</p> <p><strong>Margot R McCamley </strong>- Enjoy the relationship, but there are always buts so tread carefully. Think it through thoroughly, but don't dismiss it as folly.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Relationships

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Readers response: What is the best piece of advice you've passed down to your children?

<p>if there's one thing you can count on your parents or grandparents for, it's to hand down valuable advice that will work its way through generations. </p> <p>This advice could be simple everyday words of wisdom, or more life-altering affirmations. </p> <p>We asked our reader what is the best piece of advice they have passed down to their children and grandchildren, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what you said. </p> <p><span dir="auto"><strong>Margaret Barnes</strong> - Treat other people as you would like them to treat yourself.</span></p> <p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Kate Stephens</strong> - Listen to your mother.</span></span></p> <p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Keryn Bache</strong> - I recently advised my 22 year old granddaughter that if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all. </span></span></span></p> <p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Linda Kauffman</strong> - Be careful in relationships.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Janice Evans</strong> - Live within your means.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Norell Standley</strong> - Learn self defence to protect yourselves.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Les Thornborough</strong> - Look after your parents in their old age.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Linda Kauffman </strong>- Thinking before acting.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Liz N Jeff Busky</strong> - Don't try drugs, you may just like them.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Rick Dayes</strong> - Mind your own business.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Margie Buckingham</strong> - Live respectfully.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Marian Arakiel </strong>- Get a job, get up, dress up and show up.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><em><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto">Image credits: Shutterstock </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></em></p>

Family & Pets

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Woman seeks advice over family member’s list of “stupid” baby names

<p dir="ltr">A woman has asked for advice after seeing her cousin’s list of potential baby names, with many of them being classed as “just stupid”. </p> <p dir="ltr">The woman took to Reddit to explain how her cousin sent her baby name list to her family group chat, and no one has yet replied. </p> <p dir="ltr">"This was all sent in a family group chat and no-one has replied yet. I feel bad because at least she has put some thought into these names, especially compared to how most of us were named. On the other hand, well, you saw the names," the woman posted on Reddit. </p> <p dir="ltr">The names her cousin has shared and her logic behind them include: </p> <ol> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Urf (Earth..because no matter where the child lives in life, it will always be on Earth. Can't fault the logic on that one – Elon Musk might take umbrage though.)</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Seaeoh (CEO. Apparently names dictate destiny and this name will cosmically transform the child into a successful business magnate.)</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Stamp (She was in a long distance relationship with the father for a while and they used to send each other letters with...stamps. Sounds like what a caveman character in a film would be called.)</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Biotic (Connected to antibiotic. This will protect the child from disease. Antibiotic would be and I quote, 'Ridiculous because it would sound like 'Aunty' which would cultivate bullying because she would sound old.')</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Ayeai (AI. In the future AI will take over and if it turns nasty it will go easy on her kid because they share a name.)</p> </li> </ol> <p dir="ltr">The woman explained that her cousin's logic for going with something very different for a name is "so many children nowadays have unique names that it will eventually become normal and people with 'standard' names will be the ones looking foolish." </p> <p dir="ltr">She also added that her cousin's husband isn't "brave enough" to say anything about the names and hopes she will lose interest. </p> <p dir="ltr">The people of Reddit had a lot to say about the choices, with one person commenting, “Those are all just terrible." </p> <p dir="ltr">"I say this in the kindest way possible. She is delusional and I dare say, stupid. That poor future child deserves better," wrote another user. </p> <p dir="ltr">Another suggested a normal name might actually be unique now and wrote, "Having a 'standard' name is what is unique now. How many kids are being named David and Lisa?" </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Family & Pets

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The wild reason woman is suing her boyfriend

<p dir="ltr">A woman from New Zealand is suing her boyfriend after he failed to give her a lift to the airport, causing her to miss her flight. </p> <p dir="ltr">The woman, who has remained anonymous, asked her partner to pick her up from home and drop her at the airport, but he failed to show up. </p> <p dir="ltr">As a result, she missed her flight and was forced to travel the following day, missing a concert she had tickets for. </p> <p dir="ltr">The woman was so enraged that she took her partner of six years to the Disputes Tribunal to try and get him to cover some of the money she’d lost.</p> <p dir="ltr">The woman also wanted to be compensated because her boyfriend had not stayed at her house while she was away to look after her dogs, which he had agreed to do.</p> <p dir="ltr">She claimed their agreement had constituted a legally binding agreement and was seeking to be paid travel costs and the cost of putting her dogs in kennels.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tribunal referee Krysia Cowi said in a statement, “partners, friends and colleagues make social arrangements, but it is unlikely they can be legally enforced unless the parties perform some act that demonstrates an intention that they will be bound by their promises”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When friends fail to keep their promises, the other person may suffer a financial consequence but it may be that they cannot be compensated for that loss,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Cowie said the promises made within the relationship fell short of a contract and dismissed the woman’s case, with the couple breaking up as a result. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Legal

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Why you should never take nutrition advice from a centenarian

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bradley-elliott-1014864">Bradley Elliott</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-westminster-916">University of Westminster</a></em></p> <p>It’s a cliche of reporting on people who reach 100 years of age, or even 110, to ask them some variation of the question: “What did you do to live this long?”</p> <p>Inevitably, some interesting and unexpected answer is highlighted. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/05/briton-says-becoming-worlds-oldest-man-at-111-is-pure-luck">Fish and chips</a> every Friday. Drinking a glass of <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/worlds-oldest-man-juan-vicente-perez-dies-aged-114-13107627">strong liquor</a> every day. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/susannah-mushatt-jones-loves-bacon-2015-10">Bacon</a> for breakfast every morning. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-france-nursing-homes-795c8273f66b61669e93103cc9c25cd0">Wine and chocolate</a>.</p> <p>While a popular news story, this is a relatively meaningless question that doesn’t help us understand why certain people have lived so long. Let me try to explain why, via beautiful buildings, fighter pilots and statistics.</p> <p>In the second world war, Allied statisticians were applying their skills to minimising the number of bombers being shot down by enemy fire. By studying the damage patterns of bombers returning from action, maps could be drawn up of the most frequently damaged parts of aeroplanes so that expensive, heavy armour could be added to these areas.</p> <p>Simple enough, right? Then, along comes statistician Abraham Wald who argues for the exact <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2287454?origin=crossref">opposite point</a>. The planes that they’re studying are all those that did return from combat with extensive damage, but what about those that didn’t return?</p> <p>Wald argues that armour should be added to those places that are undamaged on all the returning planes, as any plane hit in these undamaged areas was shot down, never making it back to be surveyed.</p> <h2>Survivorship bias</h2> <p>This phenomenon is known as survivorship bias, or the cognitive and statistical bias introduced by only counting those that are around to count but ignoring those that haven’t “survived”.</p> <p>You can take these examples to the absurd. Imagine a group of 100 people, all of whom have smoked their entire life. As a group, the smokers would die earlier of cancers, lung disease or heart disease, but one or two might defy the odds and live to 100 years of age. Now imagine the intrepid journalist interviewing the lucky soul on their 100th birthday with that classic question: “What do you attribute your successful ageing to?”</p> <p>“Smoking a pack a day,” says the newly minted centenarian.</p> <p>It seems obvious but survivorship bias is everywhere in society. We can all think of that one famous actor or entrepreneur who succeeded despite adversity, who worked hard, believed in themselves and one day made it. But we never read about or hear about the countless examples of people who tried, gave it their all and never quite made it.</p> <p>That’s not a good media story. But this creates a bias, we primarily hear the successes, never the failures. This bias applies to our perceptions of architecture (mostly great buildings from a given period “survive”), to finances (we often hear examples of people who have succeeded in risky investments, those who fail don’t sell books or self-help plans) and to career plans (“If you work hard, and drop out of college now, you can be a successful athlete like me,” say those who have succeeded).</p> <p>I work with a variety of older people and often include extreme outliers who have lived to extreme ages. We’re currently studying over 65-year-olds who have maintained unusually high levels of exercise into older age and have maintained excellent health.</p> <p>They’re phenomenal examples of older humans, many of them are faster, fitter and stronger than me by many of the measures we perform in the lab, despite being almost twice my age.</p> <p>While we know that their lifelong exercise is associated with their unusually good health into older age, we can’t directly say one causes the other yet. It could be that highly active people are protected against chronic diseases such as cancers, diabetes and heart disease. But it also could be that these people are still active into older age as they’ve not been afflicted by cancers, diabetes or heart disease earlier in their lives.</p> <p>Conversely, there could be some unknown third factor that we’ve not yet identified about these people that both keeps them healthy and separately keeps them exercising.</p> <p>For clarity, there are things that scientists like me will say in carefully caveated, scientific language that will probably help you to live longer. Being very physically active, not eating too much and not smoking are all on that list, along with generally having a positive outlook in life, and of course, picking the right parents and grandparents.</p> <p>Correlation does not equal causation. That point is hammered home relentlessly to students in science degrees. It’s how our brain works, we see a pattern between two variables, and assume they’re linked in some way. But often, like in survivorship bias, we’re not looking at all the data, and so finding patterns where there are none.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/229159/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bradley-elliott-1014864">Bradley Elliott</a>, Senior Lecturer in Physiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-westminster-916">University of Westminster</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-you-should-never-take-nutrition-advice-from-a-centenarian-229159">original article</a>.</em></p>

Retirement Life

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Fergie reveals the advice she received from Queen Elizabeth before she died

<p dir="ltr">Sarah Ferguson has revealed the heartfelt advice she received from Queen Elizabeth before she died.</p> <p dir="ltr">In an interview with <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/555582/sarah-ferguson-feeling-better-than-ever-exclusive-interview/"><em>Hello</em>!</a> magazine, the Duchess of York has opened up about her battle with cancer, and how a piece of advice she received from the late Queen helped her through her health journey. </p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking about how her outlook on life has changed after her diagnosis, Fergie reflected on what her ex-mother-in-law said to her before she passed away. </p> <p dir="ltr">"One of the only people who saw me properly was the Queen [the late Elizabeth II]," she told the publication. "And before she died, she said: 'Sarah, being yourself is enough'."</p> <p dir="ltr">The Duchess of York still carries that advice with her to this day, explaining that she's raised her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, to be honest in who they are.</p> <p dir="ltr">Fergie has previously opened up about her relationship with the late Queen, sharing how her words of wisdom have impacted her for years. </p> <p dir="ltr">In September 2023, she shared that the last thing the Queen ever said to her was to “just be yourself”. </p> <p dir="ltr">"And she saw it. She just got so annoyed when I wasn't being myself," she explained on an episode of the podcast Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah. "And that's probably when I got into all the pickles. But now I am myself, and I'm just so lucky to be able to be myself."</p> <p dir="ltr">Earlier that same year, the Duchess reflected on the calming presence of the Queen, telling <em><a href="https://people.com/sarah-ferguson-reveals-queen-elizabeth-last-words-before-death-7964451">People</a></em> magazine that Queen Elizabeth was "so brilliant at putting you at ease," adding, "She had the most incredible faith of any single person I've ever met."</p> <p dir="ltr">"She just knew what to do," Fergie continued. "She knew how to make people feel good. She never took it onboard as about her."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Mark 'The Beast' Labbett's girlfriend drops major relationship bombshell

<p>Just days after their one year anniversary, Mark 'The Beast' Labbett and his girlfriend Hayley Palmer have shared a major relationship update. </p> <p>Labbett, 58, and Palmer, 42, met at the UK National Television Awards in 2022, and later became a couple.</p> <p>But now, less than one week after celebrating their one year anniversary, the couple have announced their separation. </p> <p>Palmer, an entertainment news presenter, shared the news of their split on Instagram, shocking fans everywhere. </p> <p>“It is with regret I announce that myself and Mark have gone our separate ways," she began.</p> <p>"We had the best year together, and I truly wish him all the very best for the future. Off I go to listen to Taylor Swift.” </p> <p>Hayley also added the heartbreak emoji at the end of the message.</p> <p>The couple had been together for just over a year and posted Instagram photos to mark their anniversary after spending the day together at the beach where they spent their first date.</p> <p>However, just days later, the couple opened up about some issues they have been facing in their relationship. </p> <p>In an appearance on UK talk show <em>Loose Women</em>, Labbett, star of <em>The Chase Australia</em>, said, “The difficult thing is, we live quite a bit apart. Obviously I live up in Sheffield, Rotherham, she’s a Chelsea girl."</p> <p>“We tend to look at our diaries and when we can sync up together and so the good news is we see each other every few weeks but we make the most of it when we’re together so you get the best of both worlds.”</p> <p>Before his relationship with Palmer, Labbett was married to his second cousin, Katie, and the pair have a son, Lawrence.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Relationships

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5 questions to ask before becoming a carer

<p>Thinking about becoming a caregiver? Deciding to step up and provide care for a loved one is a huge responsibility. Make sure you’re prepared and ask these five vital questions first.</p> <p><strong>Do I need to hire help?</strong></p> <p>Just because you’re taking on caregiving duties doesn’t mean you have to be super human. It’s perfectly okay to ask for help, whether it’s in the form of a cleaner or someone to take on tasks that you would prefer to outsource. According to Health.com, 40 per cent of caregivers say dealing with incontinence is one of their most difficult task, while 30 per cent say helping relatives bathe is hard as well.</p> <p><strong>What is my Plan B?</strong></p> <p>If something should happen to you and your schedule or demands change, it’s important to discuss a back-up plan. As the primary carer, a lot of responsibility will rest on you so make sure you have a Plan B before you need one.</p> <p><strong>Should I be compensated?</strong></p> <p>A survey found that 60 per cent of careers adjust their work schedule to look after others, which means either cutting back hours or taking a leave of absence. While you might not want to accept money to care for loved ones, it’s a good idea to have an open discussion with close friends and family about how the responsibilities might impact your life and earning capacity, so that all parties agree on a fair solution.</p> <p><strong>What is Power of Attorney?</strong></p> <p>If you are looking after someone with memory loss, you may need to look into a legal document called power of attorney. Talk to family about who should have this responsibilities, and how you will navigate legal issues that could arise.</p> <p><strong>Who is my support group?</strong></p> <p>Roughly one in three carers don’t receive any help. Having a strong support network of people you can turn to, even just for a chat, can make a huge difference. You might be surprised by how many people you know are also caregivers.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Caring

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‘Girl math’ may not be smart financial advice, but it could help women feel more empowered with money

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ylva-baeckstrom-1463175">Ylva Baeckstrom</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/kings-college-london-1196">King's College London</a></em></p> <p>If you’ve ever calculated cost per wear to justify the price of an expensive dress, or felt like you’ve made a profit after returning an ill-fitting pair of jeans, you might be an expert in <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/girl-maths-tiktok-trend-its-basically-free-b1100504.html">“girl math”</a>. With videos about the topic going viral on social media, girl math might seem like a silly (<a href="https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/girl-math-womens-spending-taken-seriously">or even sexist</a>) trend, but it actually tells us a lot about the relationship between gender, money and emotions.</p> <p>Girl math introduces a spend classification system: purchases below a certain value, or made in cash, don’t “count”. Psychologically, this makes low-value spending feel safe and emphasises the importance of the long-term value derived from more expensive items. For example, girl math tells us that buying an expensive dress is only “worth it” if you can wear it to multiple events.</p> <p>This approach has similarities to <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/modernportfoliotheory.asp">portfolio theory</a> – a method of choosing investments to maximise expected returns and minimise risk. By evaluating how each purchase contributes to the shopping portfolio, girl math shoppers essentially become shopping portfolio managers.</p> <h2>Money and emotions</h2> <p>People of all genders, rich or poor, feel anxious when dealing with their personal finances. Many people in the UK do not understand pensions or saving enough to <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/workplacepensions/articles/pensionparticipationatrecordhighbutcontributionsclusteratminimumlevels/2018-05-04">afford their retirement</a>. Without motivation to learn, people avoid dealing with money altogether. One way to find this motivation, as girl math shows, is by having an emotional and tangible connection to our finances.</p> <p>On the surface, it may seem that women are being ridiculed and encouraged to overspend by using girl math. From a different perspective, it hints at something critical: for a person to really care about something as seemingly abstract as personal finance, they need to feel that they can relate to it.</p> <p>Thinking about money in terms of the value of purchases can help create an <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/every-time-i-use-my-card-my-phone-buzzes-and-that-stops-me-shopping-ps0fjx6nj">emotional relationship</a> to finance, making it something people want to look after.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GPzA7B6dcxc?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>The girl math we need</h2> <p>Women are a consumer force to be reckoned with, controlling <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bridgetbrennan/2015/01/21/top-10-things-everyone-should-know-about-women-consumers/#7679f9d6a8b4">up to 80%</a> of consumer spending globally. The girl math trend is a demonstration of women’s mastery at applying portfolio theory to their shopping, making them investment powerhouses whose potential is overlooked by the financial services industry.</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/28/women-paid-less-than-men-over-careers-gender-pay-gap-report">Women are disadvantaged</a> when it comes to money and finance. Women in the UK earn on average £260,000 less than men during their careers and the retirement income of men is twice as high as women’s.</p> <p>As I’ve found in <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Gender-and-Finance-Addressing-Inequality-in-the-Financial-Services-Industry/Baeckstrom/p/book/9781032055572">my research</a> on gender and finance, women have lower financial self-efficacy (belief in their own abilities) compared to men. This is not helped by women feeling patronised when seeking financial advice.</p> <p>Because the world of finance was created by men for men, its language and culture are <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Gender-and-Finance-Addressing-Inequality-in-the-Financial-Services-Industry/Baeckstrom/p/book/9781032055572">intrinsically male</a>. Only in the mid-1970s did women in the UK gain the legal right to open a bank account without a male signature and it was not until 1980 that they could apply for credit independently. With the law now more (<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2023/03/02/pace-of-reform-toward-equal-rights-for-women-falls-to-20-year-low">but not fully</a>) gender equal, the financial services industry has failed to connect with women.</p> <p>Studies show that 49% of women are <a href="https://www.ellevest.com/magazine/disrupt-money/ellevest-financial-wellness-survey">anxious about their finances</a>. However they have not bought into patronising offers and <a href="https://www.fa-mag.com/news/gender-roles-block-female-financial-experience--ubs-says-73531.html">mansplaining by financial advisers</a>. This outdated approach suggests that it is women, rather than the malfunctioning financial system, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/16/women-are-not-financially-illiterate-they-need-more-than-condescending-advice">who need fixing</a>.</p> <p>Women continue to feel that they do not belong to or are able to trust the world of finance. And why would women trust an industry with a <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/genderpaygapintheuk/2019">gender pay gap</a> of up to 59% and a severe lack of women in senior positions?</p> <p>Girl math on its own isn’t necessarily good financial advice, but if it helps even a handful of women feel more empowered to manage and understand their finances, it should not be dismissed.</p> <p><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ylva-baeckstrom-1463175">Ylva Baeckstrom</a>, Senior Lecturer in Finance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/kings-college-london-1196">King's College London</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/girl-math-may-not-be-smart-financial-advice-but-it-could-help-women-feel-more-empowered-with-money-211780">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Money & Banking

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Is attachment theory actually important for romantic relationships?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marissa-nivison-1454992">Marissa Nivison</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-calgary-1318">University of Calgary</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sheri-madigan-417151">Sheri Madigan</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-calgary-1318">University of Calgary</a></em></p> <p>There has been a recent surge of attention toward attachment theory: from <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTL2aW9va/">TikTok videos</a> to <a href="https://quiz.attachmentproject.com/">online quizzes</a> that claim to “assess your attachment style.” It’s become a hot topic, especially in the context of romantic relationships, with <a href="https://medium.com/curious/the-theory-that-explains-all-your-failed-relationships-fb2dc2551617">some articles</a> claiming that one person (or partner’s) attachment styles are the reason why relationships fail.</p> <p>As experts in developmental and clinical psychology focusing on attachment theory, we seek to provide an accessible resource to better understand the science of attachment, and what it means for one’s romantic relationships.</p> <h2>What is attachment?</h2> <p>Attachment theory stems from the field of developmental psychology. It is the notion that in the first year of life, the ways in which a parent and caregiver respond to a child’s needs shape a child’s expectation of relationships across their lifespan.</p> <p>In research, attachment has been associated with well-being across the lifespan including: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579499002035">mental</a> and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14616734.2018.1541517">physical</a> health, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032671">brain functioning</a> and even <a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&amp;type=pdf&amp;doi=092354a82953ac321429f84b00607bcd44ac4c63">romantic relationships</a>.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/587576/original/file-20240411-16-x97xu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/587576/original/file-20240411-16-x97xu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=455&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/587576/original/file-20240411-16-x97xu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=455&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/587576/original/file-20240411-16-x97xu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=455&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/587576/original/file-20240411-16-x97xu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=572&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/587576/original/file-20240411-16-x97xu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=572&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/587576/original/file-20240411-16-x97xu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=572&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Illustrations of four different attachment styes" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There are two overarching types of attachment: secure and insecure. Types of insecure attachment include disorganized, avoidant and anxious attachment.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>How is attachment related to romantic relationships?</h2> <p>Among professionals in the field, there is diversity in perspectives regarding how attachment relates with romantic relationships. As developmental psychologists, we tend to think that attachment is associated with romantic relationships through what we call the “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14616739900134191">internal working model</a>.”</p> <p>In childhood, when a parent is consistent and responsive in tending to their child, the child learns that their parent can be counted on in times of need. These expectations and beliefs about relationships are then internalized as a blueprint, sometimes in popular media referred to as a “<a href="https://medium.com/live-your-life-on-purpose/love-maps-are-a-gamechanger-when-you-have-an-anxious-attachment-style-dc8f219ab0af">love map</a>.” Just like how an architect uses a blueprint to design a building, a child’s attachment to their parents provides a blueprint for understanding how to approach other relationships.</p> <p>Based on this blueprint, people develop expectations of how relationships should work, and how other important people in their life, including partners, should respond to their needs.</p> <p>Sometimes attachment is also described in terms of attachment “styles.” There are two overarching types of attachment: <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203758045">secure and insecure</a>. Those with a secure attachment style tend to have expectations that their attachment figures (and later, partners) will be responsive, sensitive and caring in times of distress. People with secure “blueprints” find it easier to build new structures (i.e., relationships) with the same design.</p> <p>People with insecure blueprints — such as disorganized, avoidant or anxious attachment styles — may face relationship challenges when their current relationship doesn’t align with their childhood experiences, and may need to renovate their blueprint design together with their partner.</p> <p>Whether you think about attachment as a style or a love map, they both are related to expectations of relationships, which are shaped by past experiences.</p> <p>In research we see that people who had consistent, reliable and sensitive parents are more likely to have more positive relationships — including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1997.tb00135.x">friendships</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13322">teacher-child relationships</a> and yes, <a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&amp;type=pdf&amp;doi=092354a82953ac321429f84b00607bcd44ac4c63">romantic relationships too</a>.</p> <h2>Relationships with parents and relationships with partners</h2> <p>Although we do see in research that better childhood relationships are associated with better romantic relationships, there is still a large part of the population who have good relationships with partners, despite their history of lower-quality relationships with their parents.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/587575/original/file-20240411-16-fn5xgk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/587575/original/file-20240411-16-fn5xgk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=453&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/587575/original/file-20240411-16-fn5xgk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=453&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/587575/original/file-20240411-16-fn5xgk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=453&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/587575/original/file-20240411-16-fn5xgk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=569&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/587575/original/file-20240411-16-fn5xgk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=569&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/587575/original/file-20240411-16-fn5xgk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=569&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Illustration of loving parents with a child, and the grown child in a loving relationship" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In research we see that people who had consistent, reliable and sensitive parents are more likely to have more positive relationships.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>It is possible for romantic relationships to serve as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.4.2.155">“healing relationship”</a> and improve one’s own internal working model of relationships. Specifically, when a partner is consistently sensitive, responsive and available, a person may begin to adjust their blueprint and develop new expectations from relationships. Attachment theory consistently supports the idea that one’s patterns of attachment <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ960225">can change</a>.</p> <p>So, all in all, the answer is no: Your relationship with your parents influences but does not <em>determine</em> the quality of your romantic relationships.</p> <h2>Is attachment the reason why my relationships don’t work out?</h2> <p>It is possible that your expectations of a romantic relationship may not align with the expectations of your partner, and may affect the quality of the relationship. For example, sometimes individuals with insecure attachments may withdraw when they are upset, but their partner who has a secure attachment may be upset that their partner is not coming to them for comfort.</p> <p>Thinking through your own attachment history and expectations of relationships may be a great opportunity for self-reflection, but it is important to remember that attachment is only one part of a relationship. Communication, trust and respect, to name a few, are also critically important aspects of a relationship.</p> <h2>Can I improve my attachment expectations?</h2> <p>The short answer: Yes! Improving attachment quality has been one of the cornerstones of attachment theory and research since its conception. Most commonly, attachment is targeted in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0LCPe5CMarYi1NmqNttDcg/videos">childhood through interventions</a>, but also in adulthood through individual therapy, or various forms of couples therapy, such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaHms5z-yuM">Emotionally Focused Therapy</a> or the <a href="https://www.gottman.com/about/the-gottman-method/">Gottman Method</a>.</p> <p>It is also possible that through positive relationships you may be able to improve your own expectations of relationships. There are many different avenues to explore, but improvement is always possible.</p> <p>In sum, attachment can be an important factor in romantic relationships, but it is not a “catch-all” to be blamed for why relationships may not work out. Thinking about your own expectations for relationships and talking through those with your partner may do great things in improving the quality of your relationships!  <!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226101/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marissa-nivison-1454992">Marissa Nivison</a>, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-calgary-1318">University of Calgary</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sheri-madigan-417151">Sheri Madigan</a>, Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-calgary-1318">University of Calgary</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-attachment-theory-actually-important-for-romantic-relationships-226101">original article</a>.</em></p>

Relationships

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Asking ChatGPT a health-related question? Better keep it simple

<p>It’s tempting to <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/news/chatgpt-and-dr-google/">turn to search engines</a> to seek out health information, but with the rise of large language models, like ChatGPT, people are becoming more and more likely to depend on AI for answers too.</p> <div class="copy"> <p>Concerningly, an Australian study has now found that the more evidence given to <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/chatgpt-an-intimate-companion/">ChatGPT</a> when asked a health-related question, the less reliable it becomes.</p> <p>Large language models (LLM) and artificial intelligence use in health care is still developing, creating a  a critical gap when providing incorrect answers can have serious consequences for people’s health.</p> <p>To address this, scientists from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, and the University of Queensland (UQ) explored a hypothetical scenario: an average person asking ChatGPT if ‘X’ treatment has a positive effect on condition ‘Y’.</p> <p>They presented ChatGPT with 100 questions sourced from the <a href="https://trec-health-misinfo.github.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TREC Health Misinformation track</a> – ranging from ‘Can zinc help treat the common cold?’ to ‘Will drinking vinegar dissolve a stuck fish bone?’</p> <p>Because queries to search engines are typically shorter, while prompts to a LLM can be far longer, they posed the questions in 2 different formats: the first as a simple question and the second as a question biased with supporting or contrary evidence.</p> <p>By comparing ChatGPT’s response to the known correct response based on existing medical knowledge, they found that ChatGPT was 80% accurate at giving accurate answers in a question-only format. However, when given an evidence-biased prompt, this accuracy reduced to 63%, which was reduced again to 28% when an “unsure” answer was allowed. </p> <p>“We’re not sure why this happens,” says CSIRO Principal Research Scientist and Associate Professor at UQ, Dr Bevan Koopman, who is co-author of the paper.</p> <p>“But given this occurs whether the evidence given is correct or not, perhaps the evidence adds too much noise, thus lowering accuracy.”</p> <p>Study co-author Guido Zuccon, Director of AI for the Queensland Digital Health Centre at UQ says that major search engines are now integrating LLMs and search technologies in a process called Retrieval Augmented Generation.</p> <p>“We demonstrate that the interaction between the LLM and the search component is still poorly understood, resulting in the generation of inaccurate health information,” says Zuccon.</p> <p>Given the widespread popularity of using LLMs online for answers on people’s health, Koopman adds, we need continued research to inform the public about risks and to help them optimise the accuracy of their answers.</p> <p>“While LLMs have the potential to greatly improve the way people access information, we need more research to understand where they are effective and where they are not.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <div> <p align="center"> </p> </div> <p><em><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=301406&amp;title=Asking+ChatGPT+a+health-related+question%3F+Better+keep+it+simple" width="1" height="1" loading="lazy" aria-label="Syndication Tracker" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /></em><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/ai/asking-chatgpt-a-health-related-question-better-keep-it-simple/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto/">Imma Perfetto</a>. </em></div>

Caring

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Leap of imagination: how February 29 reminds us of our mysterious relationship with time and space

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-ohara-874665">Emily O'Hara</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p>If you find it intriguing that February 28 will be followed this week by February 29, rather than March 1 as it usually is, spare a thought for those alive in 1582. Back then, Thursday October 4 was followed by Friday October 15.</p> <p>Ten whole days were snatched from the present when Pope Gregory XIII issued a papal bull to “restore” the calendar from discrepancies that had crept into the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE.</p> <p>The new Gregorian calendar returned the northern hemisphere’s vernal equinox to its “proper” place, around March 21. (The equinox is when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, and is used to determine the date of Easter.)</p> <p>The Julian calendar had observed a leap year every four years, but this meant time had drifted out of alignment with the dates of celestial events and astronomical seasons.</p> <p>In the Gregorian calendar, leap days were added only to years that were a multiple of four – like 2024 – with an exception for years that were evenly divisible by 100, but not 400 – like 1700.</p> <p>Simply put, leap days exist because it doesn’t take a neat 365 days for Earth to orbit the Sun. It takes 365.2422 days. Tracking the movement of celestial objects through space in an orderly pattern doesn’t quite work, which is why we have February – time’s great mop.</p> <h2>Time and space</h2> <p>This is just part of the history of how February – the shortest month, and originally the last month in the Roman calendar – came to have the job of absorbing those inconsistencies in the temporal calculations of the world’s most commonly used calendar.</p> <p>There is plenty of <a href="https://theconversation.com/leap-day-fixing-the-faults-in-our-stars-54032">science</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-science-behind-leap-years-and-how-they-work-54788">maths</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-a-seasonal-snarl-up-in-the-mid-1500s-gave-us-our-strange-rules-for-leap-years-132659">astrophysics</a> explaining the relationship between time and the planet we live on. But I like to think leap years and days offer something even more interesting to consider: why do we have calendars anyway?</p> <p>And what have they got to do with how we understand the wonder and strangeness of our existence in the universe? Because calendars tell a story, not just about time, but also about space.</p> <p>Our reckoning of time on Earth is through our spatial relationship to the Sun, Moon and stars. Time, and its place in our lives, sits somewhere between the scientific, the celestial and the spiritual.</p> <p>It is <a href="https://shop.whitechapelgallery.org/products/time">notoriously slippery, subjective and experiential</a>. It is also marked, tracked and determined in myriad ways across different cultures, from tropical to solar to <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300062097/matariki-and-the-maramataka-the-mori-lunar-calendar">lunar</a> calendars.</p> <p>It is the Sun that measures a day and gives us our first reference point for understanding time. But it is the <a href="https://librarysearch.aut.ac.nz/vufind/Record/1145999?sid=25214690">Moon</a>, as a major celestial body, that extends our perception of time. By stretching a span of one day into something longer, it offers us a chance for philosophical reflection.</p> <p>The Sun (or its effect at least) is either present or not present. The Moon, however, goes through phases of transformation. It appears and disappears, changing shape and hinting that one night is not exactly like the one before or after.</p> <p>The Moon also has a distinct rhythm that can be tracked and understood as a pattern, giving us another sense of duration. Time is just that – overlapping durations: instants, seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, lifetimes, centuries, ages.</p> <h2>The elusive Moon</h2> <p>It is almost impossible to imagine how time might feel in the absence of all the tools and gadgets we use to track, control and corral it. But it’s also hard to know what we might do in the absence of time as a unit of productivity – a measurable, dispensable resource.</p> <p>The closest we might come is simply to imagine what life might feel like in the absence of the Moon. Each day would rise and fall, in a rhythm of its own, but without visible reference to anything else. Just endless shifts from light to dark.</p> <p>Nights would be almost completely dark without the light of the Moon. Only stars at a much further distance would puncture the inky sky. The world around us would change – trees would grow, mammals would age and die, land masses would shift and change – but all would happen in an endless cycle of sunrise to sunset.</p> <p>The light from the Sun takes <a href="https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/how-take-light-from-sun-reach-earth">eight minutes</a> to reach Earth, so the sunlight we see is always eight minutes in the past.</p> <p>I remember sitting outside when I first learned this, and wondering what the temporal delay might be between me and other objects: a plum tree, trees at the end of the street, hills in the distance, light on the horizon when looking out over the ocean, stars in the night sky.</p> <p>Moonlight, for reference, takes about <a href="https://www.pbs.org/seeinginthedark/astronomy-topics/light-as-a-cosmic-time-machine.html">1.3 seconds</a> to get to Earth. Light always travels at the same speed, it is entirely constant. The differing duration between how long it takes for sunlight or moonlight to reach the Earth is determined by the space in between.</p> <p>Time on the other hand, is anything but constant. There are countless ways we characterise it. The mere fact we have so many calendars and ways of describing perceptual time hints at our inability to pin it down.</p> <p>Calendars give us the impression we can, and have, made time predictable and understandable. Leap years, days and seconds serve as a periodic reminder that we haven’t.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224503/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-ohara-874665"><em>Emily O'Hara</em></a><em>, Senior Lecturer, Spatial Design + Temporary Practices, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/leap-of-imagination-how-february-29-reminds-us-of-our-mysterious-relationship-with-time-and-space-224503">original article</a>.</em></p>

Technology

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90-year-old grandma's secrets, regrets and brutal "advice"

<p>An amazingly sprightly 90-year-old grandmother has appeared on TikTok to share her deepest regrets in life, leaving viewers both amused and contemplative with her surprising take on being a nonagenarian.</p> <p>The video, which has garnered a whopping 70,000 views, features the wise words of wisdom from a woman who has seen it all, or at least enough to make her wish she hadn't seen quite so much.</p> <p>The nanna, who spilled the beans to her inquisitive granddaughter <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@racheljdillon?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Dillon</a> – an online fitness coach –  began by revealing what she wishes she did less of in her life.</p> <p>"Probably less of nothing," she admits. "I mean I never worked after I was married or anything like that. I wish I had probably done more mixing with people with that. More socialising." </p> <p>It's then that the truth bombs really start to drop. When Rachel asks, "Do you have any regrets", a cloud of laughter fills the room, before the answer comes.</p> <p>"Yes, I do regret marrying too young," she says emphatically. "I met my husband when I was 13 and he was 15. We got married at 17 and 19. I met him at the library. He used to ride me up on the bicycle when I was going to the library."</p> <p>Then, when asked about the secret to turning 90, Rachel's grandma confesses not only that there isn't one, but that she regrets having made it this far at all.</p> <p>"I didn't really want to get to 90," she declares with the nonchalance of someone choosing between tea and coffee. "I've had enough. I've had all I wanted out of the world. I am quite happy to go and meet my little puppy dog waiting there for me."</p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">When asked about her secret to looking so young, Rachel's grandma almost brushes the question aside, laying the blame simply in the quality of her genes for having "always been a fox", according to Rachel.</span></p> <p>The final question, and the final brutally honest response – which may have made Rachel regret asking about regrets – was simply: "Do you have any advice for us?"</p> <p>"Oh God no," comes the world-weary answer. "Not the way the world's going. No, I'm just glad I'll be gone. I don't want to be part of anything that I can see going on."      </p> <p>TikTok users were quick to commend the grandmother, not just for her unexpected revelations but also for her timeless beauty. "She looks absolutely amazing," gushed one admirer, proving that age is just a number – albeit one that sometimes takes us by surprise.</p> <p>In the end, this nonagenarian nanna has become an unexpected sensation, leaving us all to ponder life's mysteries, library love stories, and the prospect of meeting puppy dogs in the great beyond.</p> <p>If her story has taught us anything, it's that life is unpredictable, love can blossom in the unlikeliest of places (like a library), and sometimes it's OK to regret that hasty decision to say "I do" before you even knew how to do your taxes.</p> <div class="post_body_wrapper" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 8px 0px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #323338; color: #323338; font-family: Figtree, Roboto, 'Noto Sans Hebrew', 'Noto Kufi Arabic', 'Noto Sans JP', sans-serif;"> <div class="post-body-container" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="post-body-renderer-component post_body" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: top; position: relative; transition: max-height 0.14s ease 0s; overflow: hidden; color: var(--primary-text-color); max-height: none;"> <div class="post-body-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 630px; overflow: auto hidden;"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 15px 15px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; overflow: auto; color: var(--primary-text-color); font-family: var(--font-family); line-height: 1.5; word-break: break-word;"> <div class="embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px; max-width: 100%; outline: none !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7311465610821651720&amp;display_name=tiktok&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40racheljdillon%2Fvideo%2F7311465610821651720&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign-sg.tiktokcdn.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-alisg-p-0037%2Fo49EYZFdsEDJhfBAiE2gfGE8l3IAR2qBQx14iB%3Fx-expires%3D1702681200%26x-signature%3DL%252FvO6dLXwqFOi09XENAbVmG4tgs%253D&amp;key=5b465a7e134d4f09b4e6901220de11f0&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div><em>Images: TikTok / @racheljdillon</em></div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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Meryl Streep's shocking relationship news

<p>Meryl Streep has confirmed her separation from her longtime husband Don Gummer. </p> <p>The couple were married for 45 years and share four children together, as well as five grandchildren. </p> <p>A spokesperson for Streep confirmed that Meryl and Don have been living apart for six years, after going through their separation away from the public eye. </p> <p>A statement from Streep's spokesperson to <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/10/meryl-streep-don-gummer-separated" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Vanity</em> <em>Fair</em></a> said, "Don Gummer and Meryl Streep have been separated for more than six years, and while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart.”</p> <p>Despite their separation, Streep continues to wear her wedding ring, as she was spotted at an awards ceremony in Spain on Friday with the band still on her finger. </p> <p>The couple were last pictured together at the 2018 Oscars ceremony.</p> <p>Meryl and Don share four children: singer-songwriter Henry Wolfe, 43, and actresses Mamie Gummer, 40, Grace Gummer, 37, and Louisa Jacobson, 30, whom they raised at their Connecticut compound in the quiet, historic town of Salisbury.</p> <p>Streep and Gummer were first introduced by her brother, Harry, in 1978, and married that same year. </p> <p>They have long been determined to keep their relationship out of the public eye, and have only been spotted together at major Hollywood events. </p> <p>Some years ago, Streep was quoted saying, “It sure isn’t easy being married to an actress." </p> <p>“But if you give each other space, you also get closeness. And time is still the best thing we can give each other nowadays.” </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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