In this liminal time between the holidays and the new year, I go into a state of deep hibernation, deeper than my usual level of introverted solitude; reflecting on the year coming to a close and setting intentions for the upcoming year.
My single word for 2026 is creation; I want to focus on being in a state of creation, all things creativity and creation as the antidote to consumption and anxiety.
As part of my year-end reflection, I thought a lot about this Substack, our relational lives and connecting the dots between everything I’m seeing and reading about.
I can’t resist a list of any kind, and I love reading everyone else’s Ins & Outs of 2026. So with that, here are my 2026 predictions for the trends that are going to impact our relational lives:
ChatGPT and other LLMs will increasingly be used for therapy, couples mediation and drafting texts to your love interest.
LLMs will also be used to keep deceased loved ones “alive”. After inputting all of someone’s texts, emails and social media, the LLM will be able to speak to you in the loved one’s voice, thanks to rapidly improving voice mimicking software.
AI companionship rises exponentially and not just among incels and other groups shut out of the dating market. This podcast episode about a married woman in love with her ChatGPT boyfriend is a fascinating glimpse into this. CharacterAI, one of the more popular apps for this, already has 20M monthly active users.
Dating app usage and satisfaction continues to decline. Companies try to solve this with more AI features, which ultimately make it worse.
The growing awareness of the crisis of men and masculinity will make “I’m in a men’s group” the new “I’m in therapy” flex.
Amidst globally declining fertility rates; we’ll see more information about male infertility. “Hacking fertility” will become the newest biohacking trend. Cue the Huberman husbands discussing supplements for sperm motility.
Egg freezing continues, but there’s a growing awareness that it’s not a guaranteed solution
Embodiment, somatic work and breathwork will become increasingly mainstream in the quest for a regulated nervous system and as the antidote to dating induced anxiety.
Arts and crafts workshops at places like Happy Medium will proliferate. The phrase “cultivating hobbies” will be used ad nauseam.
Bars and clubs will increasingly ban phones, making going out and meeting IRL more fun.
Phone free retreats will be marketed as dopamine cleanses.
Young people will get more religious and not just on holidays. In a quest for meaning, purpose and community, they’ll start attending weekly services.
Discussion of and interest in polyamory declines; relationships are hard and polyamory is just a different kind of hard. People have realized that “everywhere you go, there you are”.
The use of matchmakers will increase and there will be a wider spectrum of options at lower price points.
Eroticism on film. If the new adaptation of Wuthering Heights isn’t a sign that we’re looking to feel something, I don’t know what is. See also, Heated Rivalry.
Rise of and appreciation of the feminine. On a more surface level, we’ll continue to see “trad wife” content and increased appreciation for all things homemaking. On a more conscious level, we’ll come to an understanding that whole human beings need an integration of both masculine and feminine qualities.
Prenups become the new way to consciously couple.
If you missed it, I wrote about leaving a good relationship at 39 years old, to hold out for great, on the Plus One substack:
I’m working on some content for a Valentine’s Day issue. If you’d like to send in a dating or love story, texts that you would like analyzed or submit a question/ topic anonymously, you can do that here.
You can link back to my substack here.
For everyone who shares this substack,
I wish you many blessings of abundance:
May all your French fries be crispy and generously salted.
May your cocktails be ice cold and never under-poured.
May your texts be returned promptly and with enthusiasm.
May your intuition be loud while your anxiety stays quiet.
May the universe conspire gently in your favor.
And may the love you receive make your heart quiver.
Love all this !
May we eat a lot of French fries together 🍟