Home > Life > Sex, Dating & Relationships

Sex, Dating & Relationships

Meet Our Experts

Rachel Thompson, sits wearing a dress with yellow florals and black background.

Rachel Thompson

Features Editor

Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.

A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.

Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.

anna iovine, a white woman with curly chin-length brown hair, smiles at the camera

Associate Editor, Features

Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky.

More Sex, Dating & Relationships - Page 26

Bumble's 2024 dating trend predictions have some real surprises

Daters are prioritising emotional intimacy above sex and redefining what relationship timelines mean.

11/15/2023

By Anna Iovine

Hookup app Feeld partners with users for rebrand

Feeld says it's the "dating app for the curious."

11/14/2023

By Anna Iovine

hand holding phone with aura background displaying text: "You're Magestic. Welcome to Feeld with benefits. Access unlimited daily Likes, see who already likes you, get a free Ping per day, and more." with buttons that say "See who likes you" and "Explore Majestic Settings"

hand holding phone with aura background displaying text: "You're Magestic. Welcome to Feeld with benefits. Access unlimited daily Likes, see who already likes you, get a free Ping per day, and more." with buttons that say "See who likes you" and "Explore Majestic Settings"

Berlin's cybersex brothel fulfills a fantasy — but may pose risks

At Cybrothel, clients can rent real dolls and immerse themselves in VR porn.

11/10/2023

By Anna Iovine

person smiling in vr headset

person smiling in vr headset

Omegle changed cybersex forever, for better or worse

Many of us had our first cybersex experiences on Omegle.

11/09/2023

By Beth Ashley

Daters want to leave body count stigma in 2023, eharmony says

Singles share their new year's "sexolutions" in eharmony's latest Dating Diaries report.

11/09/2023

By Anna Iovine

people leaning in for a kiss with smaller, ephemeral versions of themselves swimming to each other

people leaning in for a kiss with smaller, ephemeral versions of themselves swimming to each other

Why these former tech workers became sex workers — and love their new lives

"I get more genuine respect from men as a sex worker than I ever did in the tech industry."

11/09/2023

By Raksha Muthukumar

dominatrix holding phone in one hand and whip in the other

dominatrix holding phone in one hand and whip in the other

Startup launches tampon-based STI test

STI diagnoses are increasing in the UK — but many people don't get checked.

11/07/2023

By Anna Iovine

left: two tampons from daye's sti screening kit; right: hand inserting tampon into bag

left: two tampons from daye's sti screening kit; right: hand inserting tampon into bag

Elon Musk wants X to be a dating app. It already is.

If anything, dating is now harder to do on Twitter.

11/03/2023

By Anna Iovine

two birds on a power line with one sending heart messages to the other

two birds on a power line with one sending heart messages to the other

What is No Nut November? Why abstaining from masturbation isn't healthy.

The No Nut Subreddit reveals disturbing posts of misogyny and intense public group shaming towards those who share their "failures".

11/02/2023

By Beth Ashley

Illustration of two men holding hands and tensing muscles and sweating profusely.

Illustration of two men holding hands and tensing muscles and sweating profusely.

Higher cell phone use linked with lower sperm count, research suggests

Other sperm measures weren't impacted, however.

11/02/2023

By Anna Iovine

illustration of sperm swimming with one leader

illustration of sperm swimming with one leader

TikTokkers say their friends aren't texting back. Why?

Don't assume your friend isn't interested because they're not responding.

10/31/2023

By Anna Iovine

back of person surrounded by text bubbles

back of person surrounded by text bubbles

TikTokkers are calling out their exes using Taylor Swift's 'Now That We Don't Talk'

Taylor Swift's '1989' vault song has inspired people to reflect on past relationships.

10/30/2023

By Anna Iovine

screenshot of TikTokkers singing "Now That We Don't Talk"

screenshot of TikTokkers singing "Now That We Don't Talk"

Meta rejected a sex toy shop's ads — until they marketed to men

Sexual wellness brand Unbound claims that Meta is discriminatory in its ad policies.

10/27/2023

By Anna Iovine

rejected and approved unbound and thunderthrust facebook ads

rejected and approved unbound and thunderthrust facebook ads

How to safely store your nudes

Tips for both Apple and Android devices.

10/26/2023

By Anna Iovine

A person looking at their computer

A person looking at their computer

Teens want to see friendship on TV, not sex, study shows

Almost half of adolescents believe sexual content isn't needed for the plot of most TV and movies.

10/25/2023

By Anna Iovine

two people watching laptop screens with divider in the middle to show they're in different places

two people watching laptop screens with divider in the middle to show they're in different places

Bumble warns about 'polter-ghosts' — aka date flakes

The dating app recently cracked down on this behavior.

10/23/2023

By Anna Iovine

Illustration of six ghosts in various different poses.

Illustration of six ghosts in various different poses.

The Magic Wand Micro is tiny, mighty, and pricey

Magic Wand has released its cutest wand yet.

10/23/2023

By Anna Iovine

micro magic wand next to a pair of keys

micro magic wand next to a pair of keys

Tinder's new Matchmaker feature lets friends and family recommend matches

Playing cupid, officially.

10/23/2023

By Meera Navlakha

Phone screens showing the Tinder app.

Phone screens showing the Tinder app.

Self-thrusting dildos are here, and I tried them

Have you ever been scared and horny at the same time?

10/21/2023

By Anna Iovine

purple thrusting dildo lying on bed sheets

purple thrusting dildo lying on bed sheets

40+ Halloween sex toys: Spine-tingling pleasure for a frightfully good time

Halloween, but make it *NSFW*.

10/20/2023

By Tabitha Britt

Sex toys are on sheepskin fur

Sex toys are on sheepskin fur

Women's health app Flo launches feature for partners

Partners can finally get better insights into their significant other's cycle and health

10/19/2023

By Meera Navlakha

A man holding a phone showing the Flo app.

A man holding a phone showing the Flo app.

Bottoming TikTok: Meet the creators educating the internet about anal sex

Information shouldn’t be reduced to folklore.

10/19/2023

By Jordan Page

A composite image showing TikTok creators who are educating people about anal sex

A composite image showing TikTok creators who are educating people about anal sex

I matched with a friend on a dating app. What do I do?

Hinge's love and connections expert shares some tips.

10/17/2023

By Anna Iovine

four people, a man and woman and two women, kissing

four people, a man and woman and two women, kissing

Why are Americans freaking out about 'Naked Attraction'?

What's the problem?

10/17/2023

By Billy Procida

Presenter Anna Richardson stands on the set of Naked Attraction

Presenter Anna Richardson stands on the set of Naked Attraction

Andrew Tate is affecting what kids believe about relationships

Exposure to misogynistic content like Tate's was linked with more harmful perceptions of relationships.

10/16/2023

By Anna Iovine

Andrew Tate addresses the media in the front of his home in Bucharest on August 4, 2023.

Andrew Tate addresses the media in the front of his home in Bucharest on August 4, 2023.