Lifestyle Stories
If you need AI to flirt, should you even be dating?
Are you swiping right on a guy, girl, ChatGPT, or Gemini? Online daters are increasingly wary about profiles and photos souped up by AI and bots steering entire conversations
- Nupur Amarnath
- THE ECONOMIC TIMES
From smashed cakes to broken eggs, AI fuels food refund fraud
As customers use digitally doctored images to game refund systems, delivery apps and restaurants scramble to keep up
‘Gen Z Walks Into A Bar…And Orders Water’
Our relationships, even with ourselves, shift when the blur of alcohol is gone. Vulnerability isn’t outsourced to a fifth glass of wine. Joy becomes less about the shared high, more about shared presence
When a 12-year-old starts dating, what are parents supposed to do?
As teens start dating younger and more casually, parents are moving from control to conversations
- Neha Bhayana
- TNN
Lab & collab: Why dog lovers are getting together to ‘co-parent’
Sharing of commitment & responsibilities allows those with busy schedules to bring a pet home without while ensuring it’s always cared for and not left alone
- Ipsita Pati
- TNN
Is ‘Manly’ Still The Main Attraction?
Yes, for more than a few women. For them, overt masculinity signals confidence. But, guys, remember, that doesn’t mean these women endorse outdated gender roles
Happy hour, but make it dawn
Morning raves are swapping booze for brews, giving early risers and fitness fans a healthier way to party without late nights or hangovers
- Shruti Sonal
- TNN
What's the secret to happiness? These researchers have a theory
Most people go looking for happiness in familiar places — by changing themselves or someone else. The research suggests a different starting point
- Catherine Pearson
- New York Times
If You Are Feeling Lonely On Valentine’s Day…
Promising experiments in the future of love are underway. Try festival dating. Or an AI companion, even if you are already in a relationship. And being your own Valentine is great too
Why these reel and real parents don’t believe in gentle parenting
He was dubbed ‘TV’s Aamir Khan’ for his meticulous approach to acting. She won a national award at the age of 22. Television and theatre actors Varun Badola and Rajeshwari Sachdev met on the sets of ‘Antakshari’ in 2004 and married soon after. Parents to a teen son today, the couple also recently played mom-dad on screen in a web series. They spoke to Neha Bhayana about old-school versus new-age parenting and their disciplining style
- Neha Bhayana
- TNN
Why India’s wealthy are hiring house managers
From styling golf outfits to planning meals, the elite and even the not-so-elite are outsourcing daily life
Exit Impossible? Go For Emotional Equilibrium
Getting out isn’t an option in some truly difficult relationships, like with a parent or a child. The way out there is to first accept, then adjust
What happens when a billionaire puts his sperm on the market?
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has publicly offered to pay for IVF for any woman who chooses to conceive using his sperm. What was once anonymous donor material now carries a name, a brand and a debate about wealth, genetics and choice.
‘I Am Childfree And The Central Character In My Life Story’
Having a child makes you a better person? Gives you old age insurance? Not always true. Gita smartly warns against possessive attachment. Read that as a warning on fantasies about how your kids will turn out
Those Gilded Lives
For those who created their own shiny world in the bustle of India, their gated sanctums will continue to keep out inconveniences, longevity will continue to be the holy grail, AI assistance will keep intensifying
Do parents have favourites among their kids? Of course they do
Research shows that the more pressing question is what it does to a child who learns — and never forgets — that they mattered less
- New York Times
Six biggest food fads of 2025
Matcha, bubble tea, heirloom rice, sober cocktails, Dubai chocolate, and protein-rich food...
- Mohua Das
- TNN
India’s costliest number plate sold for Rs 1.17 cr. Here’s why it’s special
Forty-five bidders, a flurry of last-minute bids, and a final price that stunned even seasoned participants — the auction of a number plate in Haryana lays bare the lucrative business behind India’s fancy number plate craze
- Labanya Maitra
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
What the ‘Bird Theory’ reveals about your relationship
Experts weigh in on whether those viral TikTok tests are a real litmus for a couple’s connection
- Catherine Pearson
- New York Times
What We Lost When We Tore Down The Kitchen
As open-concept floor plans took away the sovereignty of the room where meals were lovingly cooked, shared mealtimes also came to an end. It’s hard to recreate that magic out of pre-cooked food