‘There’s enormous screenshotting going on’: how Covid-19 changed the way we gossip

With most of Australia in some kind of lockdown, one might assume there’s little left to whisper about. But while the topics have changed, we’re still hungry for gossip

Touch saved me from loneliness. What will we become without it?

Touch is essential to our wellbeing, from the time we are babies. It’s how we transmit meaning, care, love and community. Our sudden loss of it has been agonising

Self-love in isolation: ‘I hope people are using this time to explore their sexuality’

Sex toy sales have spiked during the Covid-19 lockdown. For those curious about buying into the trend, experts advise how to get yourself started

I am extremely attracted to my brother-in-law – and now we’re locked down together

My family is house-sharing with my husband’s brother during the pandemic. I’m worried our mutual attraction could go too far

My wife is in China, I’m in the US: should I brave coronavirus to fly home?

Travel jeopardises strangers, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. Now is the time to think of people you’ve never met

Return of the phone call: why talking beats texting when you’re in isolation

For some, text banter has long replaced the intimacy of an actual conversation. But as many are now rediscovering, a call can offer real closeness

Safe sex beyond STIs: chlamydia can be easy to treat – a flu can stick around for weeks

Single, sexually active people are used to talking about STIs, but we owe it to our partners to disclose our common colds as well

Heavy issues: ‘I’d think there was something wrong with anyone who found me attractive’

Beware of stories that begin with ‘I’ll deserve love when ...’, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. They can become impossible to satisfy

How we live together: the couple affected by short-term memory loss

Phil is the happiest person I know, because he never gets bored

Identify your accelerator – and four other ways to have more sex with your partner

Make time for it, discuss your new ideas for the bedroom – and learn the difference between spontaneous and responsive desire