Are YOU dating a manchild? Relationship expert reveals questions you can ask to find out
Sabrina Carpenter released a very-pointed new song entitled Manchild last week, in which she sings about a 'useless' and 'stupid' guy.
It came on the one-year anniversary of her hit Please Please Please, where she begs who we can only assume was then-boyfriend Barry Keoghan (who made a cameo in the music video) not to embarrass her.
In her latest release, she pokes fun at the way the 'manchild' dresses, says 'half his brain just ain't there,' and accuses him of always seeking her out despite her not choosing him.
And while 'manchild' may not be a scientific term, dating app Hily relationship expert Dr. Marisa T. Cohen, PhD explained that it is a very real thing - often used to describe an emotionally immature person.
'A manchild acts more like a child as opposed to an individual his own age,' Dr. Cohen told DailyMail.com.
'In especially problematic scenarios, the manchild may be intentionally acting in an incompetent manner so as to evoke the need for their partner's care.'
She went on to explain that more than actual incompetence, a partner who depicts the traits of a 'manchild' usually does so as a manipulation tactic.
So how can you tell if your partner is emotionally immature before you get too involved?
And how do you differentiate between a man and a manchild? Dr. Cohen suggested asking your partner these questions.
How do you deal with tough moments?
People often say, 'If you don't want me at my worst, you don't deserve my at my best.' But just how bad are those 'worst' moments?
Dr. Cohen explained that assessing how your partner deals with setbacks and losses can be a big indicator of their emotional maturity.
'Do they have some solid coping strategies? Or do they just kind of wing it?' she encouraged people to consider.
'Their answer can tell you a lot - like if they're self-aware, whether they stick it out when things get rough, and how well they keep their cool (or not).'
If it seems like they're always bailing when things get tough, they might just do the same thing during arguments or hardships in the relationship.
What does self-care mean to you?
In Carpenter's song, she sings, 'Never heard of self care,' in reference to the 'manchild.'
Dr. Cohen said asking about your partner's self-care routine can actually help you better understand how they take care of themselves - which will in turn tell you a lot more.
'You'll get a sense of what they need, how they handle things, and maybe even how they deal with stress or think about mental health,' Dr. Cohen said.
'It's a pretty simple question, but it says a lot!'
A mature partner should take the time to really think about their needs - not give you whatever cookie-cutter answer they believe you're looking for.
What are you most proud of? And how did you make it happen?
'This two-parter is a super easy way to get the lowdown on your match,' Dr. Cohen explained.
'You'll hear about their big wins and how they handled any curveballs along the way.'
She also said that you'll get a better sense of whether your partner is capable of rolling with the punches.
And most importantly, it can show you just how ambitious they are - not just about their career but about their life.
If your partner can't think of something they're proud of it's an indicator that they've never really aimed for anything - and odds are you don't want a partner who lacks ambition.
What have you learned from your past relationships that's helped you grow as a person?
According to the expert, this is one of the best way's to get a sense of how much self-awareness your partner has going on.
Do they immediately jump to calling their ex 'crazy' or do they admit that there were times they could have shown up better as a partner?
'Basically, you're seeing if they've taken time to reflect, process the ups and downs, and figure out how to do better next time,' Dr. Cohen said.
'It's not about perfection - just about being real and ready to grow.'
If they blame their exes for everything or say they've learned nothing, odds are they're not very emotionally mature.
What are your current goals?
This may feel like an interview question, but it can provide great insight as to where your partner sees their life going.
Dr. Cohen said that it doesn't matter if they talk about their five-year plans or just their New Year resolution like making more time for friends or picking up a new hobby.
She explained that there are no right answers.
'It's just a chill way to see what's on their mind, how they set goals, and what they're into right now,' she said.
'Plus, you get a peek at how they think about things - no pressure, just good vibes.'
But if you see that your partner is giving super vague answers and hasn't thought much about their future, odds are they won't know how to build one with you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Kristin Cavallari flashes her pert backside in string bikini during lake trip
Kristin Cavallari used Instagram to share a slew of photos from a lakeside girls' trip on Sunday. In two photos the 38-year-old reality television personality, who recently revealed a past confrontation with Lindsay Lohan, showed off her gym-honed figure in a skimpy bikini. The mother-of-three wore a cheeky pair of black swimsuit bottoms as she posed with her backside facing the camera. One shot showed the former MTV star taking in the view of the water while standing on a lush lawn. And a closer shot showed Cavallari sitting on a striped towel while her textured and tousled blond hair fell over her back. Kristin captioned the post to her nearly five million followers, 'Big lake gal,' and geotagged Austin, Texas. She tagged multiple gal pals, and one friend named Char Riley also posted a roundup of outtakes, jokingly writing, 'Lake Austin: where my responsibilities can't find me.' The Uncommon James founder enjoyed cocktails and delicious-looking food that included tacos, steak, and a sub. When she wasn't stripped down to her two-piece swimwear, the blonde beauty wore cutoff jean shorts, an ab-baring white tank top, and a summer-ready brown and white striped shirt. Cavallari's carousel post has so far collected about 60,000 likes from her adoring fans. Her getaway comes after earlier this month an episode of E!'s Honestly Cavallari: The Headline Tour showed how her public reunion with her first love went sour. One of the bombshell's most famous romances was with her high school sweetheart, Stephen Colletti, but she was previously involved with a middle school boyfriend named Johnny. Kristin shared on the episode, 'I'm going to be pulling up Johnny, my very first boyfriend from Chicago. I've talked about him a couple times on the podcast. We were as in love as you could be at the tender age of 13 and 14.' While she had fond memories of their relationship, her childhood ex had a different perspective as he reduced their bond to sex. Cavallari told the live audience, 'I would wake up in the morning and I would have poems on my window.' But Johnny rebutted: 'You'd wake up next to me. That's the podcast version. To be clear, you would actually greet me in outfits just like [the one you're wearing now]. I saw you come out in this and it's hard.' On the June 11 episode, she shared that Johnny was 'nervous' about appearing as a guest in front of a live audience, so she provided him with the questions she planned to ask him, as a courtesy. 'For people who don't do this, it's f**king nerve-wracking,' the mom-of-three said. 'So, I even appreciate him getting up.' And the jewelry designer explained how she came up with the idea to feature her former beau on the tour. 'Johnny was actually coming to the Chicago show anyway,' she noted in a confessional. The group of women coordinated in dark sunglasses and denim She added, 'I was like, "Wait a minute, this could be really fun." We all know how it is to get over your first love — it's very difficult. And I do wonder if I've sort of, like, changed the narrative in my mind all these years. To have his perspective is gonna be awesome.' Worse than downplaying the depth of their relationship, Johnny went on to accuse the star of hooking up with his friend. 'Before you left, you were sampling Barrington, [Illinois],' he added. 'You broke my heart, actually, because you hooked up with my best friend [Tommy].' The former Laguna Beach cast member clapped back, 'I don't even remember Tommy. I hooked up with Tommy?!' She went on to express her disappointment in a post-show interview: 'Johnny is a massive letdown. It honestly breaks my heart because for all of these years I have held my relationship with Johnny in this high regard. And then he got up on stage and he was a completely different person.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Elio gives Pixar its worst ever box-office opening despite positive reviews
Pixar has had its worst box office opening ever with Elio, its new, alien-themed children's animation, taking just an estimated US$21m in North America and $14m internationally, despite generally positive reviews. Elio, about an orphaned boy whose dream of being abducted by (friendly) aliens comes true, struggled against the competition: Disney's live action remake of How To Train Your Dragon, which ate the competition with $37m in its second weekend; and Danny Boyle's zombie threequel 28 Years Later, which landed 23 years after his cult classic 28 Days Later and took $30m in North America and $60m globally. Pixar, the powerhouse studio behind Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, had been bracing for modest results for Elio as it weathers an industry-wide trend of original animations struggling to perform against franchises and remakes. While Pixar has found success with its own franchises – most recently Inside Out 2, which grossed an estimated $155m in its opening weekend and a total of $1.7bn globally in 2024 – it has found original ideas a harder sell. Ahead of Elio's opening weekend, pre-release tracking suggested it would be on par with Pixar's 2023 original Elemental, which took just under $30m in its opening weekend – a significant step down from the high-water mark for original animations set by the studio with 2017's Coco, which took $49m at the domestic box office in its opening weekend and $814.3m globally across its release. On Sunday, Pixar's corporate parent, Disney, said it was confident its latest movie would find the same longer-term success as Elemental, a sleeper hit that ultimately took almost $500m globally. Exit data bodes well, with Elio scoring glowing PostTrak exit results from its opening weekend, and an A CinemaScore, including an A+ from kids. Reviews have also been generally positive, although some critics have found it underwhelming. Guardian's Peter Bradshaw said the film had 'charm, likability and that potent ingredient: childhood loneliness and vulnerability', while also describing the large chunk of the film set in space as '[occasionally] a little formulaic, a bit programmatic'. Pixar's most successful opening weekend in its 39 year-history was for 2018's Incredibles 2, which took $182.6m in North America and $231.5m globally.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Lana del Rey celebrates birthday with alligator tour guide hubby… as she teams up with surprise singer for tour
Singer Lana del Rey celebrated her 40th birthday over the weekend, with her husband Jeremy Dufrene and a few in-laws. The Summertime Sadness singer shared new snaps on her Instagram on Saturday, one of which showed her holding a pair of white cakes, surrounded by Dufrene and several in-laws, weeks after her subtle tribute to Dufrene at the 2025 Met Gala. She was wearing a strapless camo top and matching shorts with white knee-high socks and shoes in the first snap. Her husband Dufrene was behind her, donning a Ford trucker's cap, a matching camo shirt, green shorts and white sneakers. She was surrounded by a number of unnamed in-laws in the post, one of whom she seemingly shares a birthday with. The singer also took to Instagram over the weekend to reveal some of the opening acts on her upcoming tour, including actress/singer Addison Rae. 'Just a couple in-laws and a baby. Thank you for sharing your birthday with me cancer queen Phoenix,' she began. 'I'm still convinced I gotta be 50/50 Gemini tho, that would explain all three Lil vibes I got going on all the time,' she added. 'So excited to see everybody starting tomorrow on tour and for all the folks joining us. Truly thank you thank you love you,' she concluded. Del Ray also shared another snap of her in the passenger seat of a vehicle, with a gold bracelet visible on her left wrist., which didn't include a caption. She also took to Instagram to announce three opening acts for her UK and Ireland Tour. Del Rey will be joined by the group London Grammar for her June 23 show at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, UK. She will be joined by Banks during a trio of shows in Glasgow at Hamden Park on June 26, Liverpool at Anfield Stadium on June 28 and Dublin, Ireland at Aviva Stadium on June 30. For her final two shows, she'll be joined by Addison Rae on July 3 and 4 for a pair of shows at London's iconic Wembley Stadium. Lana and Jeremy exchanged vows by the water in Des Allemandes, Louisiana, last year at the same bayou where he operates his popular swamp tours. Lana first shared a photo with Jeremy after taking one of his tours from Arthur's Airboat Tours in Des Allemands, Louisiana back in 2019. After their initial meeting, they reconnected earlier in 2024 before tying the knot in late September last year in what sources described as a 'whirlwind' romance. 'It's been kind of a whirlwind romance, but Lana's close friends hoped she would get married,' the source said. 'Jeremy is different from the men that Lana meets in the entertainment world. He's a great guy,' the source added. 'He's charming and charismatic in a Southern way, very much a gentleman and he treats Lana really well. She's an old soul,' the source continued.
