Most couples think they know each other well, but real intimacy is a lot more than just being able to name your partner’s favorite food or TV shows.

As a psychologist, I’ve found that people in the happiest, most successful relationships see in their partner what others can’t or would normally overlook.

If you can answer these five questions below about your partner, your relationship is built on a highly coveted level of understanding and connection. (And if you don’t know the answers? It’s the perfect excuse to start asking.)

We all have those moments that stick with us for life — something a high school teacher said in passing, a compliment from a stranger or a minor rejection that still stings years later.

These events might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but they can radically alter the way we see ourselves, and they rarely come up in casual conversation.

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If you know about one of these small core memories in your partner’s life, it means you’ve had the kind of deep conversations that reveal the invisible threads of their personhood.

When life gets hectic, everyone has their own way of mentally checking out. Some fantasize about quitting their job and moving to a remote island. Others scroll real estate listings for cities they’ll never move to, or envision alternate versions of their life.

This is so much more than just a quirky habit; it’s a window into how your partner copes with stress. If you know the answer, it means you understand their inner workings, and that’s a rare kind of closeness.

We all have social scenarios that make us feel uneasy. Maybe your partner dreads small talk at parties, or they hate ordering at a restaurant in a group setting.

Knowing what makes your partner uncomfortable means you can be a source of support in situations where they might otherwise just grin and bear it. This is a sign that you’re truly attuned to their subtle mood changes — something that the untrained eye wouldn’t notice.

Whether we like it or not, we inherit certain habits from our upbringing — some good, some bad. For example, maybe your partner has a hard time accepting compliments because they never got any growing up.

If you know what habit your partner struggles with, it means you’ve had the vulnerable conversations about the family dynamics that shaped them into who they are today. These are the kinds of details most people don’t get the chance to learn, or simply don’t care to.

Everyone has accomplishments that they’re secretly proud of, but refrain from announcing to the world.

Maybe your partner once helped a stranger in a way that changed their life, or they pushed through a health, family or finance-related struggle that no one knows about. 

If you know about any of their unsung victories, it means your partner feels safe enough to share their most humble, meaningful moments with you. That kind of trust is invaluable in a relationship.

Mark Travers, PhD, is a psychologist who specializes in relationships. He holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Colorado Boulder. He is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, a telehealth company that provides online psychotherapy, counseling and coaching. He is also the curator of the popular mental health and wellness website, Therapytips.org.

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Small talk often gets a bad rap. It can feel awkward, superficial and pointless at times — if you’re doing it wrong.

But it’s one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal to build relationships, exude a strong presence and even lift your mood. 

The problem with most small talk is that it’s happening on autopilot, which means that people are asking questions they can already predict the answers to, such as: 

• “How are you?” 
• “How’s the weather?”  
• “How was your weekend?”

When you ask autopilot questions, you can almost guarantee you’ll get autopilot responses: 

• “I’m good, thanks. How about you?”
• “It’s so cold!”
• “My weekend was good, thanks. How about yours?”

Want the antidote to autopilot small talk? Use conversational threading.

Conversational threading is a technique that leads to more meaningful interactions by creating or pulling on “threads” — or compelling little tidbits that encourage more flowing and interesting conversation. 

It can help you have better conversations in your personal and professional life, whether you’re in a job interview, at a networking event, in a team meeting, at a party, or in line at a coffee shop.

Here’s how to use it: 

Offer a few threads people can pull on

Let’s say you’re asked the autopilot question “How was your weekend?” Instead of giving a rote answer, you might say: “My weekend was great! I went hiking and celebrated my niece’s birthday.” You’ve now offered two threads: They can ask about your hike or your niece. 

Here are a few more examples to help you improve your replies to common small talk prompts:

Question: “What brings you to [place/event]?“
Autopilot answer: “I’m here for work.“
Better answer: “I’m here hoping to learn more about [X topic] to help my team achieve [Y goal]. I’m excited to meet others looking to do similar things. How about yourself?”

Question: “How are you?“
Autopilot answer: “I’m good. Busy as usual, you know how it is!“
Better answer: “I’m good! Work has been keeping me on my toes, but I just started a new project that I’m really excited about. How about you?”

Question: “How’s it going?” 
Autopilot answer: “Things are good on my end.“
Better answer: “I’ve been focused on wrapping up [X project], and I’m excited to share it at the all-hands next week. I’d love to hear your thoughts after!”

Pull on other people’s threads

Active listening is key if you want to identify threads to pull on. For example, if you ask someone where they’re from and they respond with “San Francisco,” our natural inclination is to then share where we are from, and then the conversation might fall flat. 

Instead, pull on that thread of information you’ve been given and ask a follow up question like, “What’s your favorite part about living there?” 

You can also share your own experiences with San Francisco to keep the conversation going. When you share more about yourself, it can often prompt the other person to be more open to sharing as well.

If you’re stuck on how to continue a conversation because the other person isn’t giving you any threads to pull on, make an observation about something you see. This works particularly well in situations like video calls, where you can comment on or ask about something in that person’s background, like a piece of art or photo (or the virtual background they’ve selected). 

Ask better questions to prompt threads

You can encourage more engaging conversation by tweaking your small talk questions to better facilitate conversational threading. For example: 

Common question: “How are you?“
Better question: “What are you excited to be working on?”

Common question: “How was your weekend?
Better question: “What was the highlight of your weekend?”

Common question: “What brought you to this event?“
Better question: “What’s been your favorite takeaway so far?”

Having a few go-to questions in your back pocket can be especially helpful if you’re still practicing this technique.

Tweaking your small talk questions and responses to use more positive language — words like “excited,” “highlight” and “favorite” — primes you and the other person to think about your conversation more positively. 

Try using positive words as you provide and pull on threads next time you talk to someone. I’m excited for you to have deeper, more interesting conversations from here on out.

Lorraine K. Lee is an award-winning top virtual keynote speaker, CEO of RISE Learning Solutions, and author of “Unforgettable Presence: Get Seen, Gain Influencer, and Catapult Your Career.” She teaches popular courses with LinkedIn Learning and Stanford Continuing Studies. Her clients include Zoom, Cisco, LinkedIn, ASICS, McKinsey & Company, and many others.

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As a physical therapist and fitness trainer, my clients are always asking me what they can do to keep their bodies young and healthy.

As we age, we naturally lose strength, range of motion and flexibility, which can cause stiffness, discomfort and an increased risk of injury. So mobility is crucial for long-term pain relief and overall longevity.

So if you ask any fitness expert what stretch is the best for longevity, they’ll tell you about the “World’s Greatest Stretch.” This full body movement can improve mobility, work a variety of muscle groups and keep your body in excellent condition as you age.

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1. Start in a high plank position. Keep your hands directly beneath your shoulders, and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
2. Step your right foot forward. Place it outside your right hand, forming a deep lunge. Make sure your front knee stays aligned over your ankle.
3. Reach your right arm upward. Rotate your torso to the right, extending your arm toward the ceiling. Follow your hand with your eyes to enhance spinal mobility.
4. Return your hand to the ground. Bring your right arm back down and place it on the inside of your front foot.
5. Straighten your front leg. Shift your weight back slightly to stretch your hamstring. Hold for 10 seconds, then return to the lunge.
6. Switch sides. Step your right foot back to the plank position and repeat on the left side.

Not only does this stretch feel amazing, but it is also science-backed. According to studies, dynamic stretching is more effective than static stretching at increasing flexibility and getting your muscles ready for exercise.

For the best results, aim to perform this stretch for five to 10 repetitions on each side, holding each position for a few seconds. Try to reach a little bit deeper into the lunge as you rotate to improve your mobility over time.

As you do this stretch on a daily basis, you’ll start to notice:

• Improved hip flexibility: Tight hips are a common issue that can lead to increased tension in the lower back.
• Strengthened stabilizing muscles: By holding the stretch position, you’re actually performing a core exercise by stabilizing at your hips and trunk.
• Boosted circulation: Dynamic movements stimulate blood flow to the muscles, which helps with recovery and reduces inflammation.
• Enhanced joint health: Moving joints through their full range of motion promotes synovial fluid production, which lubricates and protects cartilage.

Keep in mind that, while this stretch is excellent for most people, it’s not for everyone. If you have a physical condition or health concerns, consult with your doctor first.

Andy Fata-Chan is a physical therapist and the founder of Moment Physical Therapy and Performance, which specializes in helping patients with chronic debilitating pain get back to high performance. His experience ranges from youth athletes to Olympic and professional-level athletes.

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You might expect that a global event like the Summer Olympics would be a boon for local businesses. And while hosting the Games can certainly bring an influx of visitors, it doesn’t necessarily cause the economic boost that business owners and local governments may hope for.

“The Olympics actually were not good for business,” Jay Swanson, a 39-year-old YouTuber and the creator of Paris in My Pocket, a digital guide to the city, tells CNBC Make It. His business, which brings in revenue through ads on his YouTube channels, Patreon subscriptions and guide downloads, saw a 35% decline in revenue last year. In 2023, it brought in around $156,000, but that figure fell to just under $96,000 in 2024.

“I was optimistic, but the Parisians all bailed,” he says.

Swanson’s business wasn’t alone. Strict security measures blocked off or redirected traffic in parts of the city, making it difficult for some businesses to get foot traffic. And hotels, shops and restaurants saw sales decline by up to 70% in the days leading up to the Games, the Confederation of French Traders reported.

Ahead of the Games, prices for hotels and Airbnbs skyrocketed with the expectation that tourists would be willing to shell out for lodging. In late July 2024, average hotel prices were up 70% from the previous year, Paris tourism officials told Reuters at the time.

Seeing those prices, “everybody thought, ‘This is impossible. I’m not going to do it,’” Swanson says. “They scared a whole lot of tourists away that way.”

Closer to the Olympics, when rooms were going largely un-booked, those prices came down by up to 70%, Reuters reported. 

In Swanson’s experience, tourists and locals who stayed in the city primarily wanted to see the Olympics, and neglected other attractions they may otherwise hear about or seek out through guides like his.

″[Visitors] stayed pretty close to the [Olympic] venues, and they only really came for that, they weren’t doing cultural events like the Louvre — [it] had a massive drop in visitors,” Swanson says. “Everybody had a massive drop in visitors because they were just kind of sticking to those corridors.”

Indeed, the Louvre reported a 22% decrease in visitors during the two weeks the Games were held and The Orsay Museum saw 29% less foot traffic in its galleries. 

“All the Parisians left,” Swanson says.

While locals may have been more apt to leave, business owners still hoped — and were told — tourists would be flooding the city to patronize their stores and restaurants. The government told businesses to staff up to be able to accommodate an influx of guests that never came, Swanson says.

“When businesses have asked if they should stay open, we tell them we’re trying to create the conditions for this to be a real opportunity and for the city to function normally,” Pierre Rabadan, Paris’ deputy mayor for sports, told the New York Times in June.

Economists and Olympic officials assured residents the Games would bring an economic boom to the city. But in reality, they had a minor impact on France’s overall economy. Ticket sales, tourism and other Olympics-related revenue added just 0.4% to the country’s gross domestic product growth in 2024, according to France’s Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.

“People ended up sticking around, spending a lot more money to keep their businesses open and then had way fewer people walking through the door during the Olympics,” Swanson observed. “It left a lot of people in dire straits.”

It was difficult to stay afloat, keeping his bills and his employees paid throughout last year, but “I’m proud of myself for making it through it,” Swanson says. “We had to tighten our belts. We had to cancel some projects. We had to really work to get through it, but we made it through.”

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Moving to a major city often comes with big benefits and opportunities, but it’s important to figure out if it makes sense financially before taking the leap.

It may come as no surprise that New York City and San Francisco top the global list for having the highest cost of living when rent is included. That’s according to the 2025 Cost of Living Index (including rent) by online database Numbeo.

In New York City, the estimated monthly expenses for one person, including the price of rent in a one-bedroom located in the city center, can cost a total of $5,639, according to Numbeo’s findings, which involve a combination of user-generated data and manually gathered information from reputable sources.

In Asia, Singapore tops the list as the the city with the highest cost of living, where a single person can expect to pay about $4,000 a month for living expenses and rent, according to Numbeo, which is comparable to the price it can cost someone to live in London for a month.

Globally, following closely after New York City and San Francisco are two cities in Switzerland — Zurich and Geneva — which rank third and fourth for cost of living, including rent.

Below is a list of how much it can cost one person to live in 12 major cities around the world in 2025, according to Numbeo. All figures are in U.S. dollars after being converted from the local currency.

When reading the numbers, it may be useful to consider the 50-30-20 budgeting rule, which financial experts define as follows for every paycheck: 20% for saving and investment, 50% for essentials and 30% for things you want.

Population: 8.1 million

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $1,687.10

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $3,926.65

Total cost of living: $5,613.75

Population: 788,000

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $1,556.60

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $3,222.58 

Total cost of living: $4,779.18

Population: 9.7 million

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $1,311

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $2,772.91 

Total cost of living: $4,083.91

Population: 6.1 million

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $1,131.30

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $2,921.58

Total cost of living: $4,052.88

Population: 2.6 million

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $1,287.30

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $2,325.34 

Total cost of living: $3,612.64

Population: 5.2 million

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $1,116.70

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $2,159.11 

Total cost of living: $3,275.81

Population: 3 million

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $781.70

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $1,481.93 

Total cost of living: $2,263.63

Population: 37.1 million

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $961.80

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $1,113.08 

Total cost of living: $2,074.88

Population: 10 million

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $1,073.2

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $822.97

Total cost of living: $1,896.17

Population: 29.9 million

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $616.80

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $924.45

Total cost of living: $1,541.25

Population: 21.7 million

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $406.70

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $650.20 

Total cost of living: $1,056.90

Population: 11.4 million

Estimated monthly living expenses (excluding rent): $515.30

Rent for a 1-bedroom in the city center: $394.60 

Total cost of living: $909.90

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