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What Your Generation Wants Most in a Relationship, According to a Therapist

It makes sense that you’d have a different outlook than your grandparents, you grew up in totally different worlds.

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Have you ever wondered about the different dating standards, goals, and expectations of each generation? Perhaps you’ve noticed your parents’ or grandparents’ dissatisfaction with your “type” of partner, or maybe you’re tired of hearing your younger sibling’s unsolicited feedback about your long-term relationship. Whatever the case, it seems every generation values different qualities in romantic connections—and that disconnect can feel heavy at times.

“Each generation has been influenced and formed by the world they grew up in,” says Stacey Sheller, LMFT, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at The Grove Recovery Community. “All have had their social values (what society deems acceptable or unacceptable) shaped by that world; all have grown up with a certain level of technological advancements; all have experienced changes in the economy and, as such, have seen how an economy........

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