Don't Let 'Retroactive Jealousy' Mess With Your Relationship

There’s a common experience when you start dating someone new and have “the talk” about previous relationships. Maybe later you look up their ex on Instagram and scroll a little.

You take in the old homecoming photos, beach vacations, the anniversary captions from years before you were in the picture. Maybe you feel a small pang – a flicker of comparison or curiosity – and then you move on.

But for some people, that fleeting discomfort doesn’t fade. It lingers, loops and starts to feel less like curiosity and more like a threat.