David Cooper (host)

Renee, thanks for coming on to the show.

So on again, off again relationships.

Are we talking about romantic drama or are we talking about something that kind of functions more like a chronic stress condition?

Now, they get a lot of good press for being exciting.

People talk about what it's like to break up and get back together.

They're explosive.

There's lots of emotion.

They kind of get told as like romantic tales in common media portrayals.

Is that how they end up functioning when you actually look at them?

Now, how often do they actually happen?

I have been in one.

What number or what percentage of adults are actually in a cyclical relationship like this?

So they are extremely common.

Now you mentioned the phrase chronic stressor.

What makes this kind of relationship a chronic stressor?

Is it the instability?

Is it the potential conflict?

Is it the emotional difficulties that occur within them?

Well, I've been told and I've looked into it and I've spoken to researchers about stress and long-term stress not being good for you, but I've never looked at it from this lens of on-again, off-again relationship.

So what can happen to you?