Jess visited Global TV's The Morning Show to discuss what we can expect in September with Ontario's previous sex education curriculum. Check out her notes, video clip, and a few additional segments below.

1. What are the differences between the current curriculum and the one from 1998/9?

I see three primary areas of difference between the 1998 and 2015: inclusivity, specificity & the inclusion of new technologies and related safety & relationship issues.

The updated curriculum is more inclusive of LGBTQ experiences and reflects the diversity of students, parents, and teachers.

The updated curriculum is more specific with regard to examples and teacher prompts.

And the updated curriculum addresses issues that didn’t exist in 1998 like cyberbullying, sexting, online porn and other forms of digital communication.

2. What are the implications of reverting to the 1998/9 curriculum?

A twenty-year rollback affects several areas of the curriculum and accordingly, student...

Whether you want to address an issue related to money, childrearing, in-laws, chores or sex, the toughest conversations are almost always the most important. And if you approach them effectively, they can also be the most fruitful and positive. However, most of us struggle to turn difficult conversations into positive interactions, because we’re often overcome by emotion and not prepared with our own expectations of outcomes.

Jess joined Liem and Carolyn to share her strategies for addressing difficult topics earlier today on The Morning Show. Check out the summary and video below.

Why do little annoyances or simple requests often snowball into bigger arguments?

Most of us wait until we’re frustrated to speak up, which is why our communication is often framed as a series of *complaints* and/or *criticisms* to which our partners respond with defensiveness and/or aggression. If you speak up before you become frustrated or resentful, you’ll find that the results of...

Being kind feels good and now a study suggests that acts of kindness can help to reduce anxiety. Jess joined Jeff to discuss this study and other research related to kindness on Global TV’s The Morning Show. Check out the summary and video clip below.

1. What did this study find?

Two Canadian researchers divided participants into three groups to test the effect of various interventions of social anxiety. One group was assigned exposure therapy, another was asked to record life details (considered a neutral approach) and the other was asked to perform acts of kindness (like doing the dishes for your roommate). Those who performed acts of kindness reported the greatest reduction in social anxiety (measured by levels of social avoidance goals).

2. Why might random acts of kindness reduce social anxiety?

Performing acts of kindness can help to offset expectations of negative social interactions. When you’re kind, you may also anticipate positive interactions from others...

The World Cup is well underway as evidenced by flags on cars, front stoops, storefronts and even bicycles across the country. And since the year’s matches take place in Russia, many fans are waking up extra early or staying up into the wee hours of the night to cheer on their teams.

But aside from the obvious sleep disruptions, what role do sports play in intimate relationships for fans and athletes? Jess joined Jeff to discuss related research today on The Morning Show. Check out the summary and video below and let us know whom you’re cheering for this year!

1. Sports play such an important role in Canadian culture — from hockey to cricket, we have fans of all persuasions. How does sports fandom affect the marital relationship?

When I was looking into the research on sports and intimate relationships, I came across a group of headlines that read something along the lines of “He loves sports more than he loves me.” It seems that the perception that...

Many suggest that when it comes to our love lives and professional lives, we simply can’t have it all. Professionals from various backgrounds think compromise as essential to happy relationships and when it comes to work-life balance some experts suggest that when we thrive in one area, we tend to suffer in the other. But new research with dual-career couples suggests otherwise. Jennifer Petriglieri, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD, is optimistic about dual-career couples with regard to attachment styles and work-life balance.

Jess joined Jeff on Global TV’s The Morning Show to discuss the implications of this latest research.

1. This research looked at attachment styles in dual career couples. Let’s first address what we mean by attachment styles…

The field of developmental psychology uses attachment theory to examine how our foundational relationships (e.g. our relationship with our parents) influence our adult identities. The...

Anne Hathaway recently spoke out about rumours of catfights onset of the Ocean’s 8 film.

“It’s been really amazing to watch the way certain members of the media have wanted us to fight each other and the way they wanted there to be competition and catfights, but we were all collaborating—all the time,” Hathaway explains. "Now, we’re friends. We genuinely love each other and we’re so there for each other. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Jess sat down with Jeff to discuss the catfight trope on Global TV’s The Morning Show.

1. Are women more likely to fight with other women?

The data, in fact, suggests otherwise: women have stronger and wider social ties than men and research suggests that women describe their same-gender friendships as closer and more satisfying.

2. Is there actual research into so-called catfights?

A Canadian study found that the catfight trope is primarily in our heads. Researchers presented a workplace...

Apparently, Tristan Thompson has been caught cheating on Khloe Kardashian once again. And your immediate response may be “who cares?”, but regardless of whether or not you keep up with the Kardashian’s (I’ve never seen an episode), there is some insight to be gained from considering and discussing celebrity relationship headlines.

For example, you might use Tristan and Khloe’s story as an impetus to start a conversation about how you define monogamy in your relationship. Or you might use it as an opportunity to discuss your own insecurities with your partner. We’re all insecure — some of us are simply brave enough to face our insecurities head-on. (Listen to Brandon and I discuss our relationship insecurities in this podcast.)

But back to Tristan and Khloe…

Jess sat down with Global TV’s Jeff McArthur to discuss how couples can learn from their experience and move on after sexual infidelity. Check out the summarized notes and...

A rich body of research suggests that marriage is good for your health and your pocketbook. But what if you’re in an unhappy relationship? What are the health effects of tension and marital discord? Jess joined Jeff on The Morning Show to discuss a range of studies related to marriage and health. Watch the video and read the summary below.

1. We’ve heard that marriage is good for your health - is this still true?

• Overall, marriage is tied to a range of health and social benefits: higher incomes, greater recovery rates, lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
• A recent study found that marital quality’s relationship to physical health is as important as daily exercise and a healthy diet.

2. But what about if you’re in an unhappy relationship?

It’s not marriage alone that offers potential health benefits; the quality of the relationship matters:

• Marital distress is tied to higher levels of depression and hypertension.
• In unhappy relationships, your risk...

This morning on Global TV's The Morning Show, Jess sat down with Jeff and Carolyn to tackle another round of relationship questions from viewers. Check out her advice below and watch her segment from earlier today.

My husband of 11 years doesn’t want me to have any male friends. He says I should only be friends with men in a professional setting and if I hang out with opposite-sex co-workers after work, he needs to come along to chaperone.

I think it’s fair for your husband to want an invitation to after-work drinks sometimes if he simply wants to hang out with you and get to know your work friends. BUT the notion of chaperoning is a red-flag.

You don’t cultivate trusting relationships through supervision or control. And you cannot address insecurities via supervision or control. And his desire to chaperone is likely rooted in insecurity (and perhaps inaccurate messages about what constitutes trusting relationships). In fact, the more you supervise...

Just before our wedding thirteen years ago, my family got together to assemble a book of (unsolicited) advice to help our love and relationship last a lifetime. I don’t remember many of the recommendations they had to offer, but I do recall that my mom, whom I admire greatly, offered one pearl of wisdom: Hire a house cleaner if you can afford to do so.

We followed her advice from the onset (both my husband and I grew up with parents who fought about division of household chores) and the cost of a cleaner (Selena) has been worth every penny. Selena’s weekly contribution reduces our stress levels, curbs tension related to any perceived imbalances and affords us more time to spend together (or apart at our leisure).

Now a working paper from researchers at Harvard Business School and the University of British Columbia suggests that spending a little a money to save time and reduce stress could lead to more satisfying relationships. Jess joined Jeff on The Morning Show to...