If the first question that such scenarios typically provoke is “Why didn’t they leave?” the next predictable question is “Did they try talking about it?” In the era of democratic couples communication, we believe in the talking cure. And to be sure, there’s nothing like a good heart-to-heart to make us feel heard. But when our lamentations fall on deaf ears, the loneliness is worse than being alone. It’s less painful to eat by ourselves than to sit across the table from someone who has tuned us out.
