What your chats say

Honest answers to what people ask about their texts.

• Does he like me? How to tell from your textsWhat texts can and can’t tell you about whether someone likes you: the signals worth noticing, the ones that mislead, and when to just ask.
• Who should text first in a relationship?Who texts first is a real signal but not a verdict. How to read the balance in your chat, and when one person always starting is a problem.
• Is my family group chat normal?Good-morning images, one relative who posts everything, siblings who never reply: what’s normal in a family group chat and what’s worth talking about.
• How to tell if a friendship is one-sided from your textsSigns a friendship is one-sided in your chat history, what can explain them, and how to raise it with a friend before you quietly drift apart.
• Why is my group chat dead (or so quiet)?Why group chats go quiet: life changes, one person carrying it, a plan that kept failing. How to tell which it is and how to bring the chat back.
• My partner is texting less. Are they losing interest?When a partner texts less, it can mean comfort, stress or distance. How to read the change in your chat and how to talk about it.
• What do our inside jokes say about our friend group?Inside jokes show what a group remembers and who it gathers around. What yours reveal, and when a running joke has stopped being funny for someone.
• Is my work chat toxic, or just busy?How to tell a busy team chat from a toxic one: tone, who gets ignored, late-night pressure and public blame, plus what you can do about each.